Possibly the very 1st Muppet Mpreg story
by dcatpuppet
Summary: The title says it all. I think this might be the first Muppet Mpreg story, unless I didn't find it anywhere. PLOT: Lips and Zoot decide to give each other another shot a romance which leads to something very surprising. Lips/Zoot story. This is also the first slash fanfic with these two, too.
1. Relinquishing Love

Chap. 1: Lips sat on the floor, curled up in a ball, groaning in pain. This could not be happening to him. Of all the things in the world that could've been wrong with him, this **HAD** to be what was wrong! He wanted to scream, he wanted to punch someone, and he wanted to cry! He wanted to do so many things, but he couldn't because his stomach had begun to ache again due to certain…conditions.

[Dcat: Okay, maybe I should back it up a little, since a lot of you probably don't know what the hell is going on!]

2 MONTHS EARLIER: Lips was just minding his own business in the instrument room. He was cleaning his trumpet when he heard a familiar voice say, "Hey Lips."

Lips looked up to see a male Muppet with light blue skin, long blue hair, somewhat rectangular sunglasses, a somewhat green hat, a yellow-tan shirt, black pants with a dark brown belt, sandals, and a red, dark orange, purple and dark pink striped overcoat of some sort that had brown fringe. [Dcat: Guess who!]

"Hey Zoot. How are you?" Lips asked his bandmate.

"Very good. Even better now since the Muppets are back together and all that crazy stuff is behind us," Zoot stated.

Lips smiled at the memory a year ago: the Muppets' #1 fan, Walter had discovered an oil baron named Tex Richman had bought the Muppet Theater and was plotting to tear it down to drill for oil. Walter, with the help of his brother, Gary, and Gary's fiancée, Mary, got the Muppets back together and put on a show to save the theater. Lips had been working in a trumpet store at the time before Walter burst in and went on a panicked ramble. All Lips could interpret was Muppet Theater, oil baron, and Muppets. He wasn't sure what Walter was saying and was about to call the cops until he walked into the room. Lips was shocked to see Zoot with Walter and was about to ask what he was doing there when Zoot basically somewhat translated whatever Walter had just said. Being a Muppet, Lips knew he couldn't let Tex Richman destroy the theater where he got his first job and decided to return to the Muppets.

The rest of the Electric Mayhem and some of the orchestra were very glad to see him, except Delores a little. She used to be on trumpet until Lips came along and "stole" her job, but she got used to the idea after a while, and eventually got a crush on him, but Lips had to tell her something that made her hatred for him return: he could never love her like she loved him. He only saw her as friend and nothing more. It took almost a month for her to get used to the idea of Lips not being able to love her and finally, she let it go.

Lips was somewhat a little worried to reunite with the Electric Mayhem, especially since they remember what happened a few years back: Lips decided to take another path and split from the band. Floyd Pepper, Dr. Teeth and Zoot tried to talk him into staying, since he was the greatest trumpeter they had, but Lips still left. He knew he somewhat hurt his friends' feelings by leaving them behind, as if implying that they were holding him back from something bigger, and he got a broken heart in the process. The band didn't seem to care about his leave; all that mattered was that he was back. After saving the theater, Kermit decides to get the Muppets on a world tour with a man named Dominic Badguy as their manager. A lot of stuff happened on that tour that Lips couldn't even describe it simply. Anyway, after everything was taken care of, the Muppets went back to Hollywood to their Muppet Theater, and now Lips was in a conversation with Zoot.

"So, what brings you here?" the trumpeter asked the saxophonist.

"Well, we're completely alone…at least I hope we are," Zoot said, looking around the room.

The piano then spoke, "Don't worry Zoot. If it's something private, I ain't saying nothing!"

Zoot glared at the old instrument, shook his head out of annoyance, and said, "…Out,"

The piano somewhat hopped out of the room with a loud bang in every hop.

"So, what did you need to talk with me about?" Lips asked, confused about why Zoot wanted to be alone with him.

Zoot pulled up a chair and looked at Lips with what seemed to be a serious expression. "I was thinking…that maybe we could…start over," he said.

Lips became surprised at the sentence; during season 5 of the Muppet Show and in the Muppet movies and specials that featured Lips, there was a little chemistry between the two brass musicians.

At first, nobody knew, since the secret couple was worried that the other Muppets would judge them for it, at least until Bean Bunny accidently barged in on them kissing. He screamed in shock so loudly, that it attracted nearly every Muppet to the scene. Bean was also screaming so loudly, he didn't even hear Zoot's explanation for the incident: he saw a spider the size of a baseball. When Kermit asked frantically where it was, Zoot said it must've been frightened away by Bean's screams, which made his friends doubt him, at least until Miss Piggy found a spider of the same size in her dressing room!

Then, there was the incident with Wayne and Wanda when they caught the two holding hands. They said that it is American for a man and woman to love each other, not two men to love each other, and if that wasn't bad enough, they threatened to tell Sam the Eagle! Zoot made a somewhat snappy comeback involving that it was a free country and he could love whoever he wanted, man or woman. They responded by saying she'll tell Kermit, which made Lips extremely upset till he was close to tears. After the duo walked away, Zoot decided to tell Dr. Teeth what had happened and man, was he ticked! Not at Zoot and Lips for not telling him about their relationship, but at Wayne and Wanda!

Dr. Teeth confronted the man and woman, which led to a lot of shouting and Sam and Kermit getting involved. Dr. Teeth explained the situation without mentioning that the gay couple was Zoot and Lips; he just said it involved two friends of his and this led to Kermit firing Wanda and Wayne.

Sam was furious that his favorite act was cancelled, but was also disappointed in them about Wanda's bullying toward Zoot and Lips. Zoot and Lips were glad that the only people that knew were Bean, who hasn't breathed a word of what he saw to anyone due to the fact he was worried what Zoot and Lips would do to him if he told, and Dr. Teeth, and he promised to not tell anyone until they were ready to come out. Wayne and Wanda were back in the show, but they seemed to have learned their lessons about not picking on a person or Muppet's love life.

After the Muppets split up, the Electric Mayhem tried to get gigs, which was pretty hard, and Lips decided to leave the band. Zoot, not wanting his lover to leave the band, which would render him single again, tried to talk Lips into staying, but this led to quite a few arguments and them breaking up. Zoot became really downhearted after Lips left and Floyd, Janice and Animal (This was before all the therapy stuff) assumed it was because they had become very close friends, but Dr. Teeth knew the truth.

To make it worse, and Lips did not know this; Zoot had been planning on proposing to him after all those years of happiness and love they spent together, and the arguing ruined that! Zoot became depressed because of this and thought he'd never see Lips again until Walter came along some time later.

Now since the Muppets were back together, Zoot thought it was a good a time as any to convince Lips into giving their love another chance.

"What are you saying, Zoot?" Lips asked.

"I want us to be together again; I love you, Lips Armstrong. Please, give us another chance," Zoot pleaded.

Behind his sunglasses, Lips could see the love in his past lover's eyes and knew Zoot really did want him back.

"You shouted at me before we split…" he mumbled.

"I know, and I'm really sorry about that. I regretted it after you left. I had no idea that taking that other path was so important to you," Zoot said.

Zoot took Lips' hand into his.

Lips looked at the other man in the eyes for a few moments before smiling and saying, "Okay, we can give it another shot."

Zoot smiled at him and the revived couple hugged each other and sealed it with a kiss. Lips had forgotten what a good kisser Zoot was and Zoot had forgotten how soft Lips' lips were.

The embrace lasted a good minute until the couple heard a familiar scream, "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Lips and Zoot broke the kiss and looked toward the door to see Bean Bunny standing there, screaming his head off.

"Bean! What happened?" Walter asked, running over to the rabbit.

Bean just pointed into the instrument room, still screaming.

"The little guy saw a spider…the size of a…bowling ball," Zoot lied.

"A spider the size of a spider bowling ball? I don't know if that exists," Walter said, a little suspicious.

At that point, Fozzie came running out of the canteen, screaming, "There's a spider the size of a bowling ball in the kitchen!"

Walter got this baffled expression that nearly made Lips burst into laughter, and the new Muppet and Bean ran to the kitchen to see what the commotion was about, with Bean still screaming in terror.

"That was a close one," Lips said, giving out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, that always works," Zoot said.

Lips smiled at Zoot before pecking him on the cheek. All was well in the theater, save for whatever was happening in the canteen.

* * *

**Just so you know, Bean is NOT homophobic. He's still basically a kid and he's not used to witnessing certain things like two men kissing. **

**I do not own Muppets, Jim Henson does.**

**Please review! **


	2. Alone in the House

Chap. 2: Lips and Zoot dated for a few weeks, still hiding their relationship from their friends, since they were still worried about their opinions. It was just like before; they hugged, they kissed, they loved each other, all in secret.

Lips had decided to call up his sister, Lisa, and tell her that he and Zoot got back together. She was very happy for him, but her voice became serious, and she asked, "Lips, did you two…do anything yet?"

"What do you mean, sis?" Lips asked.

"You know what I mean," Lisa said.

Lips could feel his face turning red. He had a feeling he knew. "Does it involve…the birds and the bees?" he asked nervously, hoping he was mistaken.

"Yep," Lisa replied.

Lips groaned. "For the record, Zoot is not into that stuff. He's a good guy," Lips defended.

"I know, but just in case you're wrong, you had better take those pills like mom said before," Lisa advised her brother.

"Why do I have to take the pills again! You know how upset I became from them! And also, that's not possible! We're both guys," Lips snapped a little.

"If mom thinks you need to take those pills, then you need to take them," Lisa said.

"I do not need to take them," Lips argued.

"Fine, dig your own grave. Get in a bad situation. I'll tell mom you said so," Lisa said.

"Lisa! Don't! She'll just make things worse! You have to agree with me that taking those pills is useless. None of that will happen," Lips said.

He heard his sister do a deep sigh and say, "I do agree with you, but mom had a reason for making you take those pills. I mean, she's been saving her money for a surgery of some sort ever since you were born. She needs you to take the pills until she has enough money for the surgery," Lisa explained.

"Surgery? For who?" Lips asked.

"For you."

"Me? Why?"

"I never thought I'd have to tell you this, Lips, but when you were born, the doctors found something very wrong with you. Not bad enough to kill you, but something very weird. As far as mom and I know, it's still there," Lisa explained.

"What is?" Lips asked, desperate to know what exactly was wrong with him when he was born.

"To tell you the truth, bro, you have a va-," Lisa started when the phone call got cut and Lips heard the dial tone.

"Lisa? Lisa!" Lips hollered into the phone.

At that point, Beauregard ran into the room, tied up in the phone lines. "Sorry Lips, I had no idea you were going to be one the phone. I was planning on replacing the phone lines today since they're so old," the janitor explained.

"How long will that take?" Lips asked.

"A few weeks," Beauregard stated.

"Great…" Lips groaned.

A week later, Lips was still waiting for the phone lines to be replaced. He had planned on recalling his sister at the Muppet Boarding house, but the lines were being changed there too. Lips started to wonder what his sister was trying to tell him was wrong with him, and why did it involve surgery? He knew it wouldn't kill him, but he was still worried.

One day after one week of no phone calling, the Muppets decided to go out and do stuff. Fozzie decided to check on some friends in the neighborhood, Gonzo and Camilla were on a date, Floyd and Janice were also on a date, Kermit and Miss Piggy were going shopping, Bean and Robin were going to a friend's house for a sleepover, Dr. Teeth needed to meet up with a friend of his who was new in L.A, Animal and Walter went for a walk, which would probably be a while. Everyone had plans except for Zoot and Lips. They were completely alone in the house.

Lips found it somewhat odd to be alone in the house with his lover, but he shrugged it off.

Zoot found it surprising they were alone as well, but after a few minutes, he thought this would give them a good opportunity to do something he's been thinking over. He found Lips in his bedroom. "Perfect," he thought. He shut the door and locked it.

"Zoot? What are you doing here? Why'd you lock the door?" Lips asked, suspicious on what Zoot was going to do.

Zoot had a somewhat excited and nervous expression on his face as he said, "I want to try something…while we're alone in the house."

Lips could see behind his sunglasses that Zoot had a look in his eyes that could be described as a few words: desiring, passionate, and horny.

Lips knew where this was going and smirked at the saxophonist before saying, "I suppose we could do it once, as long as nobody intrudes."

"I locked the door. Unless Miss Piggy or Animal break down the door, nobody will get in," Zoot said.

"Good."

[Dcat: You can probably guess what happens after that. Heh-heh. ;)]

A few hours later, Floyd and Janice were the first to get home.

"Hey! Zoot! Lips! Like, we're back!" Janice hollered.

No response.

"Where are they?" she wondered out loud.

"Zoot! Lips!" Floyd shouted.

"Crap!" Zoot muttered between clenched teeth when he heard his friends' voices.

"Maybe if we're quiet enough, they'll leave," Lips suggested.

"No, they'll stick around. Just hand me my shirt," Zoot whispered.

A few seconds later, Zoot slipped out of Lips' bedroom and Floyd saw him.

"Zoot, what were you doing in Lips' room?" his best friend asked.

"N-nothing. Just talking about Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker," Zoot lied.

"Was that his best?" Lips thought as he eavesdropped. He snickered.

"Zoot! There you are," Janice said, going up to the saxophonist.

She was smiling until she got an expression that could only be described by confused.

"Um…Zoot…I'm not sure if you, like, know this but…your shirt is backwards and inside out," Janice said, trying to hold back giggles.

"Fer real?" Floyd asked, looking at Zoot's shirt, then he burst out laughing.

Zoot looked down at his shirt to see a tag that said "Wash and wear", plus some other info about how to wash the shirt. Floyd and Janice laughed at the little mistake, and Zoot could swear he could hear Lips laughing at the other side of the door.

"It's just a simple mistake, guys! Not like you've never had this happen to you!" Zoot snapped before running into his own room.

"Man, that's a first," Floyd said.

"For sure, but…" Janice said as the duo walked to their bedroom.

"But what?" Floyd asked.

"I just remember that before we left, Zoot was wearing his shirt the right way. Why was it inside out and backwards now?" Janice explained.

Floyd shut his eyes to remember what happened before he and Janice left for their date; Zoot was wearing his shirt right! The only reasons it would be wrong was if Zoot took a shower or if he had to change his clothes for some reason. He was pretty sure it was the same shirt Zoot was wearing earlier and Zoot's hair didn't look wet. There was this other reason Zoot's shirt would've been messed up was if he had taken it off for a little while for something involving intercourse. Zoot was alone in Lips room and he did seem to rush out of there a few minutes after Floyd and Janice got home. This made Floyd curious and he started to think Zoot and Lips were hiding something from their friends.

Could it be possible that they were-no, it's can't be. They both seem straight, Floyd thought to himself.

Then he said to Janice, "That's not important. Let's just get some sleep."

"Okay," Janice said.

* * *

**What do you think Lisa was trying to tell Lips? Guesses are welcome, though you may know you're right judging by the title. **

**I own Lisa**

**Jim Henson owns the Muppets**

**Please Follow, Favorite, and/or Review!**


	3. Sickness

Chap. 3: A week later, Beauregard had finally finished replacing the phone lines. Lips went to call his Lisa first. He had to know what she was trying to tell his two weeks ago.

"Lips? Is that you?" her voice asked.

"Yeah, sis, it's me," Lips replied.

"Oh thank god! When the phone lines went down, I thought you were being murdered or something!" Lisa cried.

"Lisa, you watch too many horror films," Lips said, laughing.

"Yeah, I got to cut back," Lisa admitted.

"So, what were you trying to tell me?" Lips asked.

"About what?" Lisa asked, sounding confused.

"Something that involved why I needed surgery and take those pills," Lips reminded her.

"Oh! That! Lips, what I was trying to tell you, and you'll probably think I'm crazy but…you have both parts," Lisa stated.

"Parts? What parts?" Lips asked.

"What men and woman have that tell you their gender," Lisa explained.

"WHAT!"

"Not only do you have man parts, but you also have woman parts. You can basically get pregnant! But only if you have sex or masturbate," Lisa explained.

"Lisa! Don't say that stuff over the phone! Some kids could be reading this!" Lips warned his sister.

"Reading?"

"Nothing." [Dcat: Haha! I broke the fourth wall!]

"Anyway, did you do any of that stuff during the last two weeks?" Lisa asked.

Lips froze up; he remembered what he and Zoot did when they were alone in the house. It was really steamy. Could that have been enough to cause anything? He went stiff with fear.

"Lips? Lips, you still there?" Lisa asked.

Lips dropped the phone out of his hand with a loud bang.

"LIPS! OH MY GOD! ARE YOU ALIVE?!" Lisa shouted out of fear.

Clifford, hearing the commotion, went into the kitchen to see the trumpeter frozen in fear and hear his sister hollering for him to respond.

Clifford picked up the phone and said, "Hey, this is Clifford, Lips is a little stiff at the moment."

"Stiff? Did you kill him?!" Lisa questioned.

"No! I meant he's frozen in shock. He's shocked about something," Clifford explained.

Lips fell to the ground unconscious.

"Okay, now he just passed out," Clifford said.

"So he did do it! With Zoot no doubt!" Lisa exclaimed.

"Do what? What about Zoot?" Clifford asked.

Lisa hung up before Clifford got answers.

"Dang, what was that about?" he wondered as he put the phone back on the hook.

He picked up Lips and started to drag him off to the trumpeter's bedroom.

Zoot saw the Rastafarian in the middle of the act, and ran up, questioning, "Hey! What happened to Lips?"

"I don't know man, all I know is that he was phone with his sister, he went stiff, and then he passed out," Clifford explained. "Say, she mentioned you and him did something. Do you know what she was talking about?"

"I don't know man, but let me take him up to his room," Zoot said, picking up Lips into his arm and rushing him off into his room.

He carefully laid Lips on his bed.

"Man, I wonder what freaked him out…what did Lisa tell him?" Zoot wondered to himself as he left the room.

A few nights later, Lips woke up in the middle of the night. He felt sick to the stomach and he had no idea why. Swedish Chef certainly didn't cook anything at night, it was Annie Sue and Seymour's turn, and they normally cook good stuff. Why did Lips feel sick?

Then, Lips could feel something coming up and he ran to the bathroom, where he shut and locked the door where he threw up into the toilet. It didn't feel good at all to throw, and the burning pain of the contents of his stomach coming up hurt his throat and he started to cry while vomiting. When he stopped, he started to think to himself about what caused this: he didn't eat too much, he didn't eat anything bad or out-of-date at all that day, and he didn't seem to have a fever, so he wasn't sick it seemed, then, he remember what Lisa told him earlier: _"Not only do you have man parts, but you also have woman parts. You can basically get pregnant!"_

Lips thought it over and concluded that there was a chance he was pregnant with Zoot's child, but he couldn't be sure with the proper use of a pregnancy test, a visit to the doctor, and other things, and he really didn't want to tell his friends of these visits, and he didn't want to get checked out by Dr. Bob or Dr. Bunsen Honeydew.

Janice works with Dr. Bob and will freak out, Miss Piggy is a HUGE gossip and everyone at the theater will know within minutes, including Zoot!

Dr. Honeydew might mention it to someone on accident, and some people, like Skeeter, Swedish Chef, and Beauregard can understand Beaker and Jim knows how fast it'll spread then!

Then, he heard a knock at the door.

"Lips? You okay in there? I thought I heard you throw up. Everything alright?" Lips heard Delores's voice ask.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I think it's just the flu. It might pass in the morning," Lips answered.

Then he heard Zoot's voice say, "You sure, man? You can stay home if you don't feel so hot."

"I think I'll be okay," Lips said.

"I can perform a medical examination if you need it," Rowlf offered.

"No thanks."

"You sure?" Floyd asked.

"I'm sure."

"Positive?" Digit said.

"Positive."

"Negative?" Rizzo threw in.

"Not negative."

"Neutral," Pepe the King Prawn joked.

"For Jim's sake, Pepe! I'm fi-!" Lips started to shout until he felt sick again and vomited into the toilet again.

"Lips won't be okay by morning, will he," Floyd said.

"I don't think so, but let's wait and see what happens next morning," Rowlf said.

During the night, Lips ran out of his room 3 more times to throw up. By morning, his skin seemed to be lighter than normal, and he looked really tired. In the middle of breakfast, Lips ran out of the dining room and threw up again. Everyone looked at Kermit and the frog shook his head. Lips would definitely not be going to work today.

When Lips was getting ready to get to work, Dr. Teeth walked in and stopped him. "Lips, you're not going to work today," the keyboardist stated.

"What? Why?" Lips asked.

"Because you're sick," Dr. Teeth explained. "Rowlf says he's pretty sure you have the stomach flu and that you need a day of rest."

"But what about the orchestra? What about the band?" Lips asked.

"We'll get Delores to cover you. We already told her. Girl sang like a canary," Dr. Teeth stated.

"I bet she did," Lips said, sounding disappointed about not being able to perform for the day.

Seeing his friend's sorrow, Dr. Teeth said, "Now don't look so down. As soon as you feel better, you can get back on stage!"

"Alright," Lips said, smiling a little.

"Good, now Rowlf also said to not drink too much water, drink clear liquids, like apple juice and weak tea, avoid anything with caffeine and citrus fruit juices, and drink some ginger tea. He also you can eat bland food like plain toast, crackers, and try to get some fresh air in the backyard," Dr. Teeth stated.

"Okay, got it," Lips said.

Throughout the day, Lips had done what Rowlf had Dr. Teeth tell him to do, and Zoot had called him several times between rehearsals to ask how he was doing. Lips felt nausea every now and then and threw up still, but not too often. It was like this for a few days, until it finally stopped on the 10th day.

Rowlf stated, "That was some flu. Normally it subsides after a few days, like 5. Strange, very strange. You better got see a doctor tomorrow to see what was wrong with you, just to be safe."

"Okay, I will," Lips said.

The next morning, when everyone went out to do their own thing, Lips went to the bathroom and rummaged through the medicine cabinet for some pregnancy he was sure Pepe had kept just in case he thinks his dates with women went down a bad turn. Lips used one of them and paced around the bathroom for 5 minutes, like the instructions said.

When time was up, Lips checked the test to see the results.

* * *

**What are the results? You can again guess by the title. **

**I own Lisa**

**Jim Henson owns Muppets**

**Please Follow, Favorite, and/or Review!**


	4. Positive

Chap. 4: Lips felt ready to faint. He sat on the toilet to prevent that. He looked at the results of his pregnancy test. Two pink lines. Positive.

Lips whipped out another test and used it. 5 minutes went by. Positive again. Lips took another. 5 minutes. Positive.

Lips sat on the floor, hugging his knees. He was almost ready to cry. He was pregnant, with Zoot's kid, after all. He wanted to scream about it, but he knew it might stress out the baby. He could feel his stomach aching, signifying that the baby was growing a little. He curled up in a ball as he waited for the pain to subside.

What was Lips going to do? How can he explain this to Zoot? To his friends? To his sister? TO HIS MOTHER!

Lips began to sob softly at the thoughts of what might happen when he told everyone:

_Zoot: Sorry, but I don't date freaks like you. And I'm not looking to have any kids with you._

_Dr. Teeth: I hate to say this but I can't allow you in my band anymore._

_Janice: I'm, like, rilly sorry, we can't be friends anymore._

_Floyd Pepper: I always thought you were a hip dude, looks like I was wrong._

_Animal: GO AWAY! GO AWAY! YOU WEIRD!_

_Nigel: If I had known this, I would have never hired you for the orchestra._

_Kermit: I'm sorry, but I don't think we have a place for you here anymore._

_Pepe: You're a freak!_

_Rizzo: Sorry, I will not share my food with you, prego._

_Digit: I'm sorry, but I'm afraid our friendship will have to end here._

_Scooter: My uncle says a man being pregnant is wrong, so you are no longer allowed in the theater and I can't go-fer stuff for you anymore._

_Pops: I would love to let you into the theater, but Kermit and Mr. Grosse advised me against it._

_Clifford: Step away from me man._

_Miss Piggy: I knew I was surrounded by strange people, but you just topped it. Go away, I might catch your freak disease._

_Waldorf: Get out of the theater!_

_Statler: And don't come back!_

_Sam the Eagle: It is un-American for a man to bear a child. Get out of my sight. You shame this country._

_Delores: I'm sorry you got fired for life, Lips, but look at the bright side; I can now play trumpet! Actually, that's good news for me, not you. There's not bright side for you! Tee-hee!_

_Lisa: I told you so. Now you're in for it._

_Lips' mother: I told you to take the pill! But did you listen? NOOOO! No son of mine will be pregnant. Consider yourself disbanded from the family._

Lips cried the more he thought of the dialogue he'd receive from his friends. Maybe he could hide his pregnancy for the entire time and he'd bring the baby to the theater, saying he found it and is willing to take care of it. His friends wouldn't mind then. Then again, Kermit will probably not let the baby stay at the theater and will have Bobby Benson put the child into his baby band, and Lips didn't want that for his child.

Lips walked out of the bathroom, looking depressed, and went to the doctor to have it confirmed, but he had to go in disguise so some scam reporters don't put it in the next issue of their newspapers and magazines.

The doctor was shocked to hear Lips' explanation for the pregnancy and told him what to do and not do while pregnant, since it was his first child: he can't drink alcohol, smoke, or do drugs, then again, Lips never did that in the first place, but he had to avoid people who did smoke, which would be a challenge with J. P. Grosse. He also said to avoid raw or undercooked meat, raw fish, liver, raw eggs, pâté, avoid caffeine, and blue cheese.

The only foods safe for pregnancy were cooked shellfish, bio yoghurt, cream, and raw egg-free ice cream, honey, and cheese like ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar and double Gloucester. He also had to make sure to eat plenty of starchy foods like pasta, rice, whole grains, fruit and vegetables. He also needed plenty of calcium, like milk, cheese, and yoghurt; protein like lean meat, chicken and fish, eggs and pulses; and iron like fortified cereals, red meat, pulses, and bread. Lips also couldn't have x-rays of any sorts, or be in the sun too long, which could risk heatstroke and sunburn, which could harm the baby.

Lips understood everything completely, but he was still worried how to tell his friends.

When he got home, he called up his sister Lisa, though he was reluctant to do so.

"Lips? What is it?" she asked.

Lips whimpered out a response, "P-positive…"

"Positive? What was? Is everything okay?" Lisa asked, sounding confused.

"The test was positive. I'm-I'm pregnant, sis. A doctor confirmed it," Lips explained.

"Oh my god…" Lisa gasped.

"Whatever you do, don't tell mom. Please sis, I'm begging you!" Lips cried.

"I promise I won't!" Lisa exclaimed.

"What should I do? My friends don't know about it. Zoot doesn't know and it's his kid. I'm scared they'll reject me! Help me!" Lips sobbed.

"Bro! Calm down! I already have it planned out," Lisa said.

"What are you going to do?" Lips asked.

"Wait and see," Lisa responded.

* * *

**Now we're back at the beginning at the story, with the scene of Lips in the bathroom alone. **

**What is Lisa's plan?**

**I own Lisa**

**Jim Henson owns Muppets**

**Please Follow, Favorite, and/or Review!**


	5. New Muppet: Lisa Armstrong

Chap. 5: A week later, Lips had been extremely worried about what to do about his pregnancy and was wondering what his sister was planning to do. Then, Kermit announced a meeting in the auditorium. As always, all the Muppets were in their seats, and Kermit was sitting on the stage, ready to address his friends.

"Well gang, I have some good news!" the frog stated.

"What?" Fozzie asked.

"Kermie and I are finally getting married!" Miss Piggy exclaimed.

"No Piggy, that's not it," Kermit said with his typical befuddled face. His expression returned to his normal happy face and he said, "We have a new person to work for the Muppets."

"A new Muppet! Who is it?" Walter asked eager to meet the Muppet.

"She's a young lady all the way from New Orleans who knows how to play a mean clarinet," Kermit stated.

"Lady?" Miss Piggy muttered, getting angry.

"A mean clarinet? We better separate it from the other instruments. We can't have bullying in the theater," Walter said.

"Kermit means she plays clarinet really well," Floyd explained to the Muppet fan.

"I knew that, I was just trying to make a music joke," Walter said with a smile.

"Leave it to me and Zoot. That's our forte," Floyd replied.

"And here she is! Miss Lisa Armstrong! YAAAAAAYYY!" Kermit announced, waving his arms in the air.

"Armstrong?" the other Muppets said as they looked toward Lips.

"Surely it's a coincidence. I don't think we're related," Lips said.

"You sure about that, bro?" Lisa's voice asked.

Lips looked at the stage and was shocked to see his sister walking onto the stage. She had yellow hair that reached a few inches past her shoulders, tan skin like Lips, squinted eyes like Lips, and had a round pink-red nose like Lips. She was wearing a black tank top, a white skirt with a brown belt, light brown sandal-heels, and had several bangles around her wrists.

Lips noted Clifford's, Pepe's, Rizzo's, Dr. Teeth's, and several other male Muppets' jaws drop in awe.

"Lips! Why didn't you tell me you had a sister! That was hot!" Pepe exclaimed.

Lips shook his head at the prawns question and ignored it.

"Lisa, it's wonderful to have you here," Kermit said. "We've been needing someone to play clarinet for a few songs, but not many people here know much on how to play."

"Didn't Zoot play clarinet for the Muppet Christmas Carol?" Walter asked.

"That was only a one-time thing. Like when I played the flute for Blue with Helen Reddy," Zoot explained.

"Well, now you won't have to worry about clarinet ever again. Lisa will take of it," Lips told his lover.

Walter seemed to be thinking about something for a few moments before asking, "Hey, how would the Muppet Show theme sound if it was played on a clarinet?"

"I was wondering the exact same thing," Kermit said. "Can you play the theme for us, Lisa?"

"Sure thing, Mr. The Frog," Lisa said, whipping out her clarinet.

She played the entire theme of the Muppet Show with ease and grace, which resulted in thunderous applause from the Muppets.

"Dang Lips, your sister knows how to play a clarinet," Clifford complimented.

"She started learning at the exact same time when I was learning trumpet. In elementary school," Lips stated.

"That settles it! You're in the Muppets! Let's give Lisa a warm Muppet welcome!" Kermit hollered.

All the Muppets cheered and went wild in the theater. Lips went up onstage and hugged his sister.

"I'm so glad you're here," he whispered.

"I didn't want you to be alone on this," Lisa muttered back.

"Hey Lisa!" Miss Piggy shouted. Lisa looked at the diva pig.

"I have to make a couple of things to make clear. One is that-."

"Kermit is off-limits," Lisa said.

"Er, yes. And also-," Miss Piggy went on, surprised Lisa already got the memo.

"Don't steal your slots or upstage you. Got it," Lisa said.

"Okay, and-."

"If I steal you're chocolate, hurt Foo-foo, or make fun of you, I'm dead."

"…You're good."

"Lips told me everything I needed to know and remember it in case I come here," Lisa explained.

"Thank goodness for that," Kermit said.

Later, Lips and Lisa were alone in the Electric Mayhem's dressing room. Lips was lying on the sofa and Lisa was sitting in a bean bag chair. All the other musicians were downstairs in the canteen.

"What am I going to do?" Lips asked Lisa, still worried about how Zoot and his friends would react to his surprise pregnancy.

"Well, for starters, we got to find a way to tell everyone that you're pregnant with making someone freak out," Lisa said.

"Someone? Why not everyone! Everyone will have a reaction to it," Lips stated.

"Actually, people normally due to some sort of chain reaction that occurs in large crowds. Like, if one guy panics about something, everyone else will freak out because they'll think it's bad because of how the first person reacted. But that reaction does not always involve panic, sometimes it'll involve joy or anger. It happens to you guys a lot," Lisa explained.

"Oh…so, how do we tell everyone without making one person panic, and causing this chain reaction?" Lips had to know.

"We could tell Zoot first. He doesn't seem the type to blab it to everyone," Lisa said.

"I know, but, he might freak if I told him I was pregnant with his baby. He might even deny it's even his! I'm scared he'll hate me if he found out, and check this out!" Lips lifted up his dashiki, revealing his black turtleneck undershirt, which revealed a small bump on Lips' abdomen.

"I've begun to show!" he stated.

"No way…" Lisa gasped, rubbing her hand on it. "Well, at least you'll have evidence."

"No, I think the other guys will think I'm crazy, and that I'm just getting fat," Lips said as he put his dashiki back down. "I just don't know how to tell Zoot this."

A tear ran down the trumpeter's cheek.

"Hey, don't cry. If Zoot has a problem with it, I'm willing to deal with him," Lisa said, cracking her knuckles. "I've taken judo lessons along with clarinet lessons. I can possibly even defeat Miss Piggy!"

"No, Lisa! You'll get fired if you beat up Zoot. He's vital to the orchestra, and I might get fired for being pregnant and Zoot might dump me…" Lips scolded his sister.

"Sorry, I was trying to help," Lisa apologized.

"It's alright…" Lips muttered as he started to cry.

"Hormones?" Lisa asked.

"Maybe…" Lips replied.

"Hey, if you're scared, I can go with you to tell Zoot about the baby. That way it won't be that scary," Lisa offered.

"Okay," Lips said, standing up. "Let's go tell Zoot I'm pregnant!"

Then a familiar voice exclaimed, "You're pregnant!"

Lips and Lisa looked at the doorway to the dressing room to see none other than Zoot, standing there. His mouth was hanging open out of shock and he was focused on Lips.

Lisa muttered, "Oh no…" She looked at Lips and could see her brother was starting to tremble.

His mouth was quivering, seconds away from breaking down into tears.

* * *

**Well, Zoot found out about Lips' pregnancy! What's will he think of this?**

**I own Lisa**

**Jim Henson owns Muppets**

**Please Follow, Favorite, and/or Review!**


	6. Coming Out

Chap. 6: "Did I hear that last comment wrong or are you actually pregnant?" Zoot asked.

"No…you're right," Lips said softly. He could feel his eyes becoming warm, signifying that he was about to cry.

"Oh man," Zoot said, running over to hi boyfriend and hugging him. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, Zoot. It's not your fault," Lips said.

"But it is my fault! What happened that night a few weeks ago was all my idea! I should've known this would happen," Zoot protested.

"You mean you're not freaked out that Lips, a man, is with child?" Lisa asked, surprised the saxophonist was calm about the scenario.

"Freakier things have happened in the world…wait a second, that's why you were sick for 10 days! It was morning sickness!" Zoot said, figuring it all out.

Lips smirked at him, "Yeah, that's what caused me to be sick and I've been a little tired lately too. I saw a doctor a week ago and he gave me instructions on what not to do while expecting. It was long."

"Man, it must be tough to give up a lot of stuff…wait, will you still be able to play trumpet?" Zoot had to know.

"Do trumpets contain chemicals?" Lips asked his lover.

Zoot was silent.

"No, they don't," Lips said, giving the saxophonist the answer.

"Oh yeah! Of course! Man, I'm dense sometimes," Zoot said.

"So, you're not mad at me?" Lips asked.

"Why would I be mad at you for being pregnant?" Zoot asked. "I've always wanted to have kids…that and my parents want to see grandchildren before they die."

"How old are you?" Lisa had to know.

"40. How old did you think I was?" Zoot questioned.

"Um…would you be offended if I said 70?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah, a lot," Zoot said flatly.

Lips cut into the conversation before it got ugly, "Well, when should we tell everyone else? You know that would also involve us coming out to everyone that we're together."

"Soon, because what if you go into labor and I'm not around!" Zoot said.

"Good point," Lips said. Then, he gave Zoot a sly grin.

"What are you planning?" Zoot asked, suspicious of Lips' smile.

Lips didn't say anything; he just grabbed Zoot by the collar of his shirt and planted his lips onto the other man's mouth. Zoot jumped in surprise by the sudden kiss, but he shrugged it off. He wrapped his arms around Lips' waist and started to return the kiss and Lips released his collar and wrapped his arms around his lover's neck. Lisa smiled at their affection toward each other. It seemed to be really sweet, until a loud, bloodcurdling scream rang out.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Bean was in the door of the dressing room, screaming. Lips and Zoot parted and snapped at the little bunny, "GOOD GOD BEAN! WHAT THE HECK'S YOUR PROBLEM WITH TWO GUYS KISSING!"

Bean stopped screaming and froze with fear, knowing he was in for it. At that point, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Walter, and the rest of Electric Mayhem showed up at the dressing room.

"What's going on here?" the frog-in-chief asked.

"Bean saw a spider the size of a golf ball," Zoot lied.

"Will you quit it with the spiders, and also, that's smaller than the last spider you lied about which turned out to actually be in the theater somewhere," Lips said.

The trumpeter was tired of all the lying he and Zoot had been telling their friends during the last few years and was finally ready to come out.

"If it wasn't a spider, then what was it?" Kermit asked.

"We can explain everything," Lips said.

"They're gay!" Bean exclaimed, pointing at Zoot and Lips, his paw shaking with fear.

"Or the rabbit can summarize everything," Zoot muttered.

"You're gay?!" Janice gasped.

Floyd's jaw dropped in shock. Never has he been so shocked in his entire life!

Kermit and Piggy were surprised to hear this as well.

Walter and Animal seemed confused.

Dr. Teeth smirked at his friends, glad that they had finally decided to come put after all those years of dating in secret.

Walter then looked thoughtful and said, "Well aren't we all happy?"

"HAPPY! HAPPY!" Animal shouted.

"It's not that kind of gay," Floyd hissed.

"What do you mean?" Walter asked.

Dr. Teeth whispered into Walter's ear for a few seconds which resulted in Walter looking shocked. Floyd pulled Animal aside and explained it to him.

"Ooooohhhh…" Walter responded.

"Lips love Zoot?" Animal said, confused.

"Yeah," Floyd said.

"Aaaaahhhh, okay, okay," Animal replied.

Lips gave his friends a surprised expression and asked, "You're okay with this?"

"Of course we are. Everyone has a right to love someone, even if they are the same gender," Kermit said.

"Yes, that is true. Love is a hurricane, like my mother used to tell me," Miss Piggy said surprisingly nicely.

"When did this happen?" Floyd asked.

"During Season 5 of the Muppet Show," Lips explained.

"I can't believe I didn't see it in that season! I should've known! I thought I knew everything about the Muppets," Walter admitted.

"I'm glad you two finally came out and are back together after that fight a few years back," Dr. Teeth said.

"You knew?" Janice asked the keyboardist.

"Yeah, they told me after Wanda and Wayne called them out badly for it," Dr. Teeth explained.

"So you were the couple they were talking about," Kermit said. "That does explain why you seemed to be panicked for a few days."

"Well, what are your opinions about me and Lips being gay and together?" Zoot asked.

"Well Zoot, it's so complicated, that it can only be said in song," Walter said.

The newbie ran off and returned wearing a black top hat and holding a can. He started to tap dance as he sang, "_If you were gay. That'd be OK. I mean cause hey. I like you anyways_-."

"Sing one more lyric and I'll smack you so hard you'll be sneezing out of your bellybutton," Zoot threatened.

"That'll be awkward during allergy season," Walter said, knowing he was allergic to pollen at times.

"Lisa used to sing that song around me when I was in high school," Lips groaned.

"Only because I wanted to tell you that I was okay with it!" Lisa defended.

Lips shook his head in annoyance, but he was laughing.

"But Bean, why were you screaming?" Kermit asked the bunny.

"I tend to scream at things I'm not used to and take me by surprise," Bean explained.

"Well, now since that's out of the way, we have to tell you one more thing," Zoot said.

"What?" Dr. Teeth asked.

"I'm pregnant," Lips stated, proudly.

"Really? Congratula-wait, what?" Floyd replied, before passing out from shock.

Janice went into a fit of giggles and Animal laughed loudly. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Dr. Teeth, and Walter looked at the trumpeter wide-eyed. Lisa laughed at their reactions.

"Well…that's news," Kermit said, still shocked.

Lisa smiled until she noticed something. "Hey Miss Piggy, that's a cool hair clip. Where's you get it?" she asked.

"What hair clip?" Miss piggy asked, checking her hair.

"The black, fuzzy one," Lisa said.

Bean looked at Piggy's hair and screamed, "That's no hair clip! That's a spider!"

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Piggy screamed in terror as she shook the arachnid out of her hair and running off into her dressing room.

"Hey! Check it out, Zoot!" Bean said, picking up the spider. "It's the same size as a golf ball!"

"How come the spiders you lie about end up showing up as the same size as you say it?" Lips asked his lover.

"I don't know. Guess coincidence," Zoot assumed.

"Unbelievable coincidences," Kermit stated.

* * *

**Well, Lips and Zoot finally came out to some of their friends and Zoot is happy about Lips being pregnant with his child. So, all is well so far!**

**I own Lisa**

**Jim Henson owns Muppets**

**Please Follow, Favorite and/or Review!**


	7. Zachariah

Chap. 7: A few days later, Lips and Zoot were alone in Lips' room in the Muppet Boarding House. Zoot had his hand on Lips' abdomen. He still couldn't believe that he got his boyfriend pregnant with his child. As shocking as it was, he couldn't wait for the baby to be born. Kermit explained the situation to the other Muppets about Lips being pregnant.

Some Muppets thought Kermit was joking, like Clifford, Fozzie, and Delores.

Some Muppets were really excited, not caring how it happened, like Robin the Frog, Annie Sue, and Spamela Hamderson.

Some were curious about how this happened and wanted to know how it did, mainly Bunsen Honeydew.

Some Muppets were shocked by this, knowing there was in no way it was possible, like Sam the Eagle, Zondra, and Pepe the King Prawn.

After a few days, everyone got used to the idea of a new baby coming to the theater, even if it was going to be born from a man.

"Well, this was a really exciting week," Lips stated.

"Yeah, crazy," Zoot agreed. "So…did you have any names in mind for the kid?"

"Well, it will be a while until we can learn the gender of our baby, but I don't see why we can't come up with names now," Lips said with a grin.

He went over to his desk and grabbed a notebook and pen. "Okay, who wants to come up with names first?" he asked.

"You can go first," Zoot said.

"Okay…Louis for a boy and Luanne for a girl," Lips suggested.

"Cool, let's see…Charlie for a boy and…Bessie for a girl," Zoot said.

"Bessie? As in Bessie Smith, that famous jazz lady? And Charlie as in Charlie Parker, I like them," Lips said.

"Well, you suggested Louis after Louis Armstrong, so I thought I'd come up with some names after famous people of jazz, but who's Luanne?" Zoot asked.

"Luanne Homzy, a musician my sister likes. She does classical, jazz, and world music on a violin," Lips explained.

"I'm not so keen on violinists most of the time, but if she performs jazz, I'm good with it," Zoot said. "You're turn."

"Okay, for a girl…Ella after Elle Fitzgerald and…Duke as in Duke Ellington for a boy," Lips said.

"Billie for a girl, after Billie Holiday, and King, after King Oliver," Zoot said.

"How about Fats after Fats Waller," Floyd suggested from outside the door.

"Or Dinah after, like, Dinah Washington," Janice's voice threw in.

"Or John, as in Dr. John," Dr. Teeth added.

"ART! ART BLAKEY!" Animal shouted.

"Have you been listening in?" Lips asked.

"The entire time, yes," Walter's voice admitted. "Name the kid Stevie after Stevie Wonder!"

"Or Ray after Ray Charles," Rowlf's voice said.

"Or Richard after Little Richard," Scooter suggested.

"Guys, we can come up with names on our own!" Zoot hollered.

"What was the one Scooter said? Richard?" Lips asked, writing down the other names.

"You're putting them on the list?" Zoot asked.

"Well yeah, they're not bad," Lips said. "Even you got to admit, some of those names are good!"

"…Yeah, I did like some of those names," Zoot admitted.

"I have one!" Annie Sue shouted.

"What is it?" Lips asked.

"Mari, after Mari McNeil. She's a jazz singer," Annie Sue stated.

"I like that one," Lips said, adding it to the list.

"Don't you guys have anything better to do?" Zoot asked, wanting him and Lips to be left alone.

Within moments, there were thousands of footsteps, and all the other Muppets had gone away from the door.

"Well, now they're gone. Got any more name ideas?" Zoot asked.

"I have one for a boy, but not for a girl," Lips said.

"And I have one for a girl," Zoot stated.

"Okay, we'll say it at the same time and we'll see if they're good," Lips said. "On count of three…one…two…three!"

Zoot said, "Ethel after Ethel Waters." And Lips said, "Zachariah after Zachariah Hickman."

Then, both men said, "We can't name the baby that" followed by a shocked "Why not?"

"Why can't we name the baby Zachariah if it's a boy? Is it because the musician I named him is a bassist?" Lips asked.

"No, the name's already taken in my family," Zoot explained.

"Really? Who is it?" Lips asked, curious since Zoot never mentioned his family before.

"I have an older brother named Zachariah," Zoot stated.

"I didn't know you have a brother," Lips said, surprised.

"Well, nobody knew you had a sister," Zoot said with a smirk. "Now tell me why we can't name the baby Ethel."

"Ethel's…my mother's name," Lips said softly.

"Oh, really? I didn't know that…wait, is she-?" Zoot started to ask when Lips cut him off saying, "She's alive, but the problem is that she knew I could get pregnant. She always told me to take birth control pills whenever I was dating someone, just in case the relationship got that far. Well, I'm worried that if she finds out, she'll blow up at me." Lips seemed to tremble a little and dropped his notebook and pen.

Zoot went over to him and hugged him. "Calm down, Lips. I don't think it'll be good for the baby," he said soothingly.

"Okay," Lips said.

A few weeks later, Lips was showing more. His bump wasn't very big, but it was visible. Zoot enjoyed rubbing his hand on it, because it reminded him that he was going to be a father soon. Janice and Lisa also put their hands on the bump, because they were also excited. Everything seemed calm in the theater until after a rehearsal of a song.

"Well, that's a wrap for today guys! We got the rest of the evening off," Kermit announced.

"Thank goodness, my fingers hurt from strumming my guitar so fast," Janice said, blowing on her sore fingertips.

"Do you think that was our best?" Walter asked, wanting to know.

"Well, I thought it was good, but that's only my opinion," a voice from above said.

"Thanks, whoever said that," Walter said, happily.

Then, he stopped in his tracks, looked around, trying to figure out who said that. After no luck of locating the person, the Muppet screamed in terror.

"Walter! What happened?" Lisa asked.

"There's a ghost in the theater!" Walter shouted.

"We've always been here," one of the Muppet ghosts said, laughing.

"No! Not you guys! It was someone else! I heard it from above!" Walter exclaimed.

"Well, it's not a ghost, but I think I know who it was," Clifford said.

"Who was it then?" Rizzo the Rat asked the Rastafarian.

Clifford outstretched his arms, looked up at the ceiling, and said dramatically, "God."

"Really!" Walter gasped, looking up at the ceiling.

"God watches our show! That could explain why I survive all my stunts!" Gonzo added.

"Do you think he likes my jokes?" Fozzie wondered out loud.

"I think Clifford was just joking," Delores snickered.

"You're not a believer!" Pepe snapped.

"Yeah, I just wanted to get a reaction from you guys," Clifford said, laughing. "But I am a believer. My old man was a preacher."

"Well, then who was it talking a few moments ago?" Kermit asked, looking around, trying to locate the source of the voice.

"Up here!" a voice hollered.

"He's on the stage. Where the ceiling lights are!" Skeeter exclaimed, pointing up at the stage.

All the Muppets looked where the girl pointed to see a man was up there. He had somewhat green skin, dark blue hair, and a yellow-green nose. He was wearing a tan jacket that was buttoned up, a yellow scarf, a gray hat, blue jeans, and white shoes. He also had brown frames sunglasses.

"Oh god…" Zoot muttered, sounding annoyed.

The stranger leapt down from the lights and landed perfectly on his feet.

"Hey Zoot, long time no see," the mystery man greeted the saxophonist.

"Zoot, you know this guy?" Rizzo asked the Muppet.

"Yeah…" Zoot said through gritted teeth.

"Of course he knows me, I'm his older brother, Zachariah," man said.

"You're Zachariah?" Lips asked. "Zoot mentioned you once."

"Really? He mentioned me? You mentioned me?" Zachariah asked Zoot.

Zoot nodded.

"So you're Zoot's brother, huh?" Kermit said, walking up to the new person. "What brings you to the Muppet Theater? Just so you know, if you intend to ask for free tickets for this week's show because you're related to Zoot, it won't happen. It wouldn't be fair to the rest of the audience."

"No, actually, I just quit my last job," Zachariah stated.

"Please don't ask what I think you're going to ask," Zoot prayed in his mind.

"Can I get a job here?" Zach asked.

"Darn," Zoot muttered.

"Well, there's the backstage crew, but unless you have any talents, you can't perform in the show," Kermit explained.

"I can play soprano saxophone," Zachariah stated.

"Looks like saxophones run in the family," Dr. Teeth said.

Zoot ignored the comment.

"Well, we already got a saxophonist," Kermit explained. "But we could use you for some performances, but until we do, you can do some odd jobs around the theater."

"You can start with helping me and Pepe with these boxes," Rizzo said as he and the King Prawn lifted a box of props and struggled to carry it off of the stage and into the prop room.

"Okay," Zachariah said, climbing onto the stage.

"Your brother's not so bad. Why did you act like you hate him?" Lips asked Zoot.

"You'll see probably," Zoot stated.

Onstage, Rizzo and Pepe found a box they could lift and started to walk away.

"So Zachariah, where did you work before?" Rizzo asked.

"Oh, I helped out in an old theater in the old part of Hollywood. I met some celebrities while there," Zach stated.

"Oh, well…one time, I slept on a hammock outside in the rain, okay," Pepe stated.

"…Why did you do that?" Zachariah asked.

"In case I ever heard a story like that and wanted to top it. Topped okay," Pepe stated. "Now give us a hand here."

"Okay," Zachariah said before clapping his hands, shouting, "Come on, Rizzo and Pepe! You can do it!"

Rizzo and Pepe stopped in their tracks and glared at him.

"We appreciate the moral support, but seriously! Help us with these boxes!" Rizzo snapped.

"I was just joking," Zachariah said, as he picked up some boxes. He glanced at Pepe before entering the prop room and said, "By the way, topped."

"See," Zoot said.

"Okay, so your brother is a little bit of a jerk," Lips said. "So?"

"Wait till you see him later," Zoot muttered.

"Hey, does he know about…us?" Lips whispered into the saxophonist's ear.

"No," Zoot said.

"Why not?" Lips asked.

"I never got around to it since the guy kept breaking his phone due to all those acrobatics he does," Zoot explained.

"Well, you can tell him now, I mean, he is going to be an uncle soon," Lips said.

Zoot became silent.

At the Muppet Boarding, Zachariah was going to stay in one of the attics for the night until the other Muppets can figure out where he'll stay. Zoot went up to see him trying to fix himself a bed.

"Hey Zoot. Come up to give me a proper hello?" Zachariah asked.

"No, I came to tell you some things," Zoot said.

"Really? Been a while since we've spoken about our lives. The last time we talked, you told me you were in a relationship with a gal named Janice," Zachariah stated.

Zoot twitched at the mention of that; he bragged to his brother about him getting a good looking girlfriend and about him getting a girlfriend before his brother did, and a week later, he and Janice split, which ruined the bragging to Zachariah.

"So, you still with her?" Zach asked, curious.

"Ye-no," Zoot admitted. "We broke up a week after I told you."

"Oh man! And after all that bragging you did to tick me off! It actually worked!" Zach laughed.

"Yeah, well, I have someone new now," Zoot said.

"You're lying!" Zach exclaimed.

"Yeah, we got together during season 5 of the Muppet and we've been taking it steady for a few years. I think this one might be the one," Zoot stated.

"Really? Who is it?" Zachariah wanted to know.

"Um…you know that trumpet guy with the blonde hair? And the goatee?" Zoot asked.

Zachariah looked at his brother, full of suspicion and confusion. "Yeeeeaaaahhhh, why?" he asked.

"Him." Zoot said.

"What?"

"Him, I'm with him," Zoot explained.

Zachariah looked at his brother, his face full of shock. "Zoot…what are you trying to tell me?" he asked flatly.

"I'm trying to tell you that I'm in love with a guy," Zoot explained.

"Zoot…are you gay?" Zach asked still talking flatly, full of shock and a tad bit of horror.

"Technically I'm bisexual, but I guess in a sense I am…why?" Zoot asked, worried about his brother's reaction.

Within seconds, Zoot was flung out of the attic and crashed into the floor onto his face, cracking his sunglasses in the process.

"Whoa! What happened up there?" Floyd asked, seeing everything. Zachariah shut the door to the attic.

"I told my brother about me and Lips…I don't think he liked it," Zoot explained.

"You don't say," Rizzo said, who had also witnessed the entire throwing scenario.

"Well, he'll understand one day," Dr. Teeth said. "Just give him time."

Zoot said nothing and went up to his room. "Man, he wrecked my shades," Zoot muttered.

He opened one of his drawers where there was a silver money box labeled "Spare Shades". He put the box on the dresser and opened it, revealing various pairs or sunglasses, all really similar. He searched through the box until he found a good pair and took them out. He set them on a nightstand, where he opened the drawer, revealing a small dark blue box and removed it from the drawer. He opened it revealing various glasses cases, each with a note on it. He grabbed a new glasses case from a shelf where he took off his broken shades and put them in the case.

Then he grabbed a notepad and wrote on it, "_Broke when my brother, Zachariah, threw me out of the attic after I came out to him about me and Lips._"He sighed stuck the note on it with a piece of tape.

"Hey, I heard what happened," Zoot heard Lips' voice say. He looked at the doorway to see the trumpeter standing there, watching him.

"What are you doing?" Lips asked as he walked into the room and shut the door.

"Oh, I'm just putting these busted sunglasses to rest," Zoot explained as he put the glasses case in the blue box, which he put back in the nightstand.

"Why don't you just throw them out?" Lips asked, confused.

Zoot shrugged, "I don't know. I keep them just in case they'll become valuable one day. That, and they're interesting memories on how each broke, like being flung from the attic my your older brother because he doesn't like the idea of you being gay or bi," Zoot explained. "It could be a good story to tell the kid."

Zoot smiled as he put his hand on Lips' abdomen, where he felt his slightly swollen tummy, and rubbed it affectionately. Lips smirked at his lover and put his hands over Zoot's. The couple then kissed for a few moments.

When they parted, Lips said, "You know…I've never seen you without your sunglasses before."

Zoot realized he hadn't put his new pair on yet and that his eyes were revealed. They were white with black pupils, just like any other Muppet, and they were half-open like Fozzie's, but he looked somewhat tired with them.

"You don't look bad without the shades," Lips stated with a smile.

"Well, there's a reason why I wear the shades," Zoot stated.

"What's that?" Lips had to know.

"My eyes always look like I'm about to fall asleep, even I'm not, and a lot of people I knew in the past thought that," Zoot explained.

"Ah," Lips said.

Zoot grabbed his new shades and put them on.

"Well, it's time we got some sleep, it's been a long day," Zoot stated.

"What about Zachariah?" Lips asked.

"Like Doc said, he'll understand one day, we just got to give him time," Zoot said. "So…do you plan on sleeping with me tonight or going back to your room?" Zoot asked.

Lips smirked at his boyfriend, "I think I'll stay with you tonight."

Zoot grinned.

* * *

**Well, Zoot's brother, Zachariah is now in the Muppet crew, but he doesn't seem to like the idea of Zoot liking Lips. In the next chapter, another new character is going to come into the picture. Who will it be?**

**I own Lisa and Zachariah**

**Jim Henson owns Muppets**

**Please Follow, Favorite, and/or Review!**


	8. Threats

Chap. 8: A few days later, Lips was alone in the dressing room when Scooter walked in.

"Hey Lips, someone wants to see you," the go-fer told the trumpeter.

"Who?" Lips asked, wondering if it was Zoot, Lisa, or Dr. Teeth.

"I don't know. Some lady," Scooter said, before walking out.

Lips was curious who this lady was and decided to meet her. When this lady entered, Lips wanted to run or at least make her leave, but he knew that'd be rude and he wasn't the kind of guy to do that. The woman had tan skin like Lips, curly blonde hair, squinted eyes like Lips. She didn't have a nose. She was wearing a green t-shirt with a light blue long-sleeved shirt under it, a black skirt, and purple shoes.

"Hello Lips, how are you dear?" the woman greeted.

"Hello mother," Lips replied. "What brings you here?"

"Can't a mother see how her son and daughter are doing?" Ethel asked.

"True, but still, what made you want to do that?" Lips asked, wanting to know why his mother was visiting him unannounced.

He tried to make his dashiki in a position so his mother wouldn't notice the bump.

"I heard you were carrying my grandchild," Ethel stated.

Lips felt like breaking down and crying right there. She knew and he knew he was in for it.

"How did you know?" Lips asked.

"That Piggy girl is such a blabbermouth. She told everyone on her Facebook and Twitter accounts," Ethel explained.

Lips froze up; Kermit had strictly told everyone in the theater to NOT do that. Why did Piggy go ahead and do it? Was it because she thought nobody would find out or was she an exception, since Kermit never tells her what to do much. This made Lips start freaking out, knowing someone from a magazine of some sort was going to see it and probably share it with the world.

"I suppose you're wondering who the father is," Lips sighed.

"I already know. It's the saxophonist, Zoot Simms right?" Ethel told him.

"Did Piggy share that too?" Lips assumed.

"No, a man named Zachariah did. Do you know a Zachariah?" Ethel asked.

Lips was shocked to hear that. Zachariah had told a whole bunch of strangers Zoot was in a relationship with Zoot! Why? Was it just to ruin Zoot after he told him he was with him? Did Zoot know?

Ethel whipped out her cell phone and said, "I can show you if you don't believe."

She went on Facebook and relocated each of the comments. When she found them, he face expressed concern and she muttered, "Oh dear."

"What? What is it?" Lips had to know.

"I'm not sure if I should show you," Ethel said.

"Let me see," Lips said.

Ethel reluctantly handed the phone to her son, where Lips saw Piggy and Zachariah's comments, followed a whole bunch of other comments. Some of them were comments asking how this happened or how cute they think the baby will be and some congratulations, but for everyone one good comment, there were at least 5 negative ones! They were mostly flames, threats, or insults, like "I'm going to kill Zoot for this!"

"I'm going to kill Lips for this!"

"I'm going to kill their child!"

"I hope Lips gets fat."

"I hope Zoot leaves him."

"I hope the baby is stillborn!"

"I hope Lips has a miscarriage so Zoot can leave him!"

The more bad comments Lips read, the more tears ran down from his eyes. He couldn't believe how many people hated him and Zoot, and the threats were scary and it seemed like these people were not bluffing. Lips handed the phone back to his mother, sat down on the sofa, and broke down crying.

"I'm so sorry about this," Ethel said, sitting next to her son and hugging him.

"It's okay mom, it's not your fault," Lips whimpered. "I wonder if Zoot's seen the comments."

Zoot was in another room, checking the Facebook, and was mortified to see all the comments. He couldn't believe Piggy and his brother had done such as thing to him and Lips. He knew Piggy probably did it without intention, but Zachariah probably had a reason. He decided to hunt down his brother. He found him in the prop room with Rizzo and Pepe.

"Hey," Zoot said, getting his attention.

"Hey Zoot," Zachariah said smugly.

Zoot felt like punching him in the eye right there. "I saw what you said on Facebook," Zoot stated angrily.

"What did I say?" Zachariah asked, acting innocent, but he still wore a sly grin.

"You know what!" Zoot snapped.

"What did he say?" Rizzo asked.

"He told everyone on Facebook about me and Lips!" Zoot shouted.

"What! Why?" Rizzo asked.

"I'm trying to figure that out," Zoot said.

"So I told the public you and Lips' secret. So?" Zachariah sneered.

"Well now people are starting to threaten to kill us!" Zoot snapped. "Did you know? Do you want us to get killed!"

"Maybe," Zachariah said.

The argument had grabbed the attention of Digit, Scooter, and Robin the Frog. "What if I did that to you?" Zoot asked.

"I'd probably beat the living hell out of you!" Zachariah snapped.

"Really? Cause I feel like doing just that to you!" Zoot hissed, running at Zachariah, ready to throw a punch at him.

Zachariah stopped him with his hand and slammed Zoot into the floor.

"I'm better at fighting than you are, Zoot. You should know that by now," Zachariah said.

"Should I go get Uncle Kermit?" Robin asked Digit.

"Yes! Now!" the android said. The little frog ran off.

Zachariah stepped out of the prop room in a huff.

"You okay, Zoot?" Rizzo asked the saxophonist.

"Fine…just fine," Zoot grumbled.

In Miss Piggy's dressing room, she was staring at the majority of the hateful comments from all the people on Facebook and Twitter. She had seen threats online before on other people's profiles, but this time, they were on her profile! She knew they weren't directed at her, but still she was scared. She also saw what Zachariah and for the first time in her life, she was worried for the safety of Zoot and Lips. She had to do something about the threats, but what? Reply? No, then they'll be after her! She decided to Google what to do about being threatened. She checked multiple links and they had the same conclusion: call the police. She knew she had to do that, but this was Zoot and Lips' problem. She had to ask them first to see if they would be okay with the fact of getting the cops involved.

At the same time, Kermit, Lips, and Lisa were discussing what to do about the problem.

"We need to call the cops and alert them about this. We can't risk you or Zoot getting hurt, Lips," Kermit stated.

"How will the cops help?" Lips asked.

"They can trace the comments and find out who sent them, and maybe lock those crazy fans up," Lisa explained.

"Won't that be a little…rigid?" Lips asked.

"Nothing is too rigid for the Muppets," Lisa said with a grin. "Hey, where's Zoot?"

"I don't know. Rizzo said he headed out after he confronted Zachariah. Zachariah left the theater before he did," Lips explained.

"I don't like people who do things like this to other people, especially to their own siblings. I think we might have no choice but to fire him," Kermit said sorrowfully.

"I kind of figured that…he didn't seem to so bad at first until Zoot told him about us," Lips said.

"It's okay; it's not your fault. It's Zachariah's fault for not understanding," Lisa said, comforting her brother.

* * *

**Something is going to happen the next chapter! Can you guess what! **

**I own Lisa and Zachariah. **

**Jim Henson owns Muppets **

**Please Follow, Favorite, and/or Review!**


	9. Attacked

Chap. 9: Meanwhile in town, Zoot was walking around angrily. He couldn't believe his brother had done what he did to him and Lips! Now he and Lips were going to be in danger. It might get so bad the cops will have to get involved and magazines might learn about it. Then hell will really break loose! He knew Zachariah was a little upset about him being gay, but he didn't think he'd share it online, setting off all the threats. Did he really intend that to happen, or was he just venting?

Zoot was so focused on his thoughts, he didn't even notice a person was following him, holding a big baseball bat. The stranger raised it over his head and hit him hard on the head.

Zoot fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

"Did you kill him?" a girl's voice asked.

"I don't know," a second voice said.

"Look! He's still breathing! He's still alive!" a third voice said.

"No, no, no…" Zoot muttered. He knew who they were; they were some of the people that made those nasty comments.

"Well, we better do him in now, until the cops show up," the first voice said.

The girl kicked Zoot in the side and into the side of a building. Zoot struggled to get to his feet.

"What kind of people are you?" he demanded to know.

Then, he got a good look at his attackers to see that they were just some teenagers.

"Great, I can't fight back, otherwise I'll get arrested for assault on a minor," Zoot muttered.

He wanted to run so badly, but he began to feel dizzy and his side hurt terribly. One of the teens took this as a chance to sock him in the face, forcing his back to collide with the wall. Another teen whipped out a knife and jabbed it into Zoot's side, causing blood flow out quickly.

Zoot shouted in agony at the sudden pain, and knew he was going to be done for unless someone came in time.

Meanwhile, Walter was struggling in taking Animal and the White Lion for a walk.

"Slow down, you guys! I can't keep up with you!" Walter shouted.

Then, the two beasts stopped in their tracks.

"Thank you, you guys sure love exer-," Walter was saying until he saw what made them stop.

He stood there in shock as he witnessed Zoot being beat to death. It had gone to the point where Zoot started shouting for someone to save him.

"That's Zoot!" Walter gasped. "He's being attacked! What do we do?"

White Lion and Animal tugged at their leashes, trying to tell them to let them go to protect Zoot.

"I know, I'll call the cops!" Walter said. He started to search his pockets for his cell phone. "Now where's my phone…I picked a bad day to wear pants with a lot of pockets…no, those are the keys to the Muppet Boarding House…keys for the Electric Mayhem bus…oh that's where the TV remote went!"

As Walter searched himself, he dropped the leashes and White Lion and Animal ran at the teens.

"Is that a lion?" one of the girls asked, seeing White Lion.

"And Animal!" one of them shrieked.

"Animal…White Lion…where'd you come from…" Zoot muttered before blacking out sue to loss of blood.

White Lion stood over Zoot's unconscious body and roared at the girls. The teens screamed in fear and tried to run away, but Animal prevented them from doing that.

"BAD WOMEN!" Animal shouted angrily.

"Animal! White Lion!" Walter yelped.

He finally found his phone and dialed 911. "Hello…yes, I need an ambulance and the police here as soon as possible…Zoot the saxophone player of the Muppets has been attacked by a group of teens…the noise? That's Animal and White lion trying to protect Zoot. Get someone down here quick! I don't know how long Zoot will last!" Walter explained.

Within moments, a white ambulance and a few police cruisers drove into the area. The teenage girls tried to run, but White Lion tackled them to the ground and sat on them to prevent them from making a hasty exit. The paramedics quickly put Zoot on a stretcher and drove him to the hospital as fast as they could. The cops arrested the girls and took them to the police station where they would speak to their parents.

"Oh man, what am I going to tell the others?" Walter muttered worriedly.

"We should tell them what happened," White Lion said wisely. "Otherwise they might freak out if Zoot is gone all night for no good reason."

"Yeah," Animal agreed.

Walter sighed, grabbed his phone and dialed for the Muppet Theater. The phone rang in the backstage area and Lisa answered. "Hello? Muppet Theater, backstage. Lisa Armstrong speaking."

"Lisa! I need to speak to Kermit! Something bad happened while I was taking Lion and Animal out for a walk!" Walter literally screamed on the phone.

"Walter, calm down. Take a deep breath and explain what happened," Lisa said.

Walter took a deep breath and let out a loud gasp before going on a fast ramble. All Lisa could decipher was Zoot, teenage girls, and attack.

"Um…could you repeat that?" she asked.

At that point, Floyd Pepper walked into the room. "Hey Lisa, who's one the phone? The telemarketer?" the bassist asked.

"No, it's Walter. Something happened when he took Animal and White Lion for a walk," Lisa explained.

"What happened?" Floyd asked, concerned.

"I don't know. He said it really fast, so I can't tell. All I got was Zoot, teenage girls and attack."

"Put it on speaker phone, I might want to hear this," Floyd said.

"What's going on?" Kermit asked.

"It's Walter, something happened while he was walking Animal and White Lion," Lisa explained.

"Kermit? Is that you?" Walter asked.

"Hand me the phone, Lisa," Kermit said. Lisa did as told.

"Hello? Walter, what happened?" Kermit asked.

Walter started to go on another ramble when Kermit stopped him midway, saying, "Walter, say it slowly. I can't listen that fast."

"Sorry Kermit," Walter said.

"Okay, now what happened?" Kermit asked.

"Zoot got attacked!" Walter exclaimed.

Kermit, Floyd and Lisa went stiff with shock. Zoot? Attacked? Who would target the saxophonist?

"Did I just hear 'Zoot' and 'attack' in the same sentence?" Dr. Teeth asked as he and Janice ran into the room.

"You heard right," Floyd said.

"By who?" Kermit asked, freaked out.

"Some teenage girls! Animal, White Lion and I saw them attack him and one of them had a knife! He looked like he wasn't going to last and he probably wouldn't have if we hadn't come when we did," Walter said.

As the Muppet explained what happened, all the other Muppets came out of their dressing rooms or the canteen to hear what happened. Lips was one of them. He felt like collapsing at the sound of Zoot getting attacked. Considering that one of the girls had a knife and judging by how Walter described Zoot in the situation, he was probably badly hurt. Lips ran into his dressing room and sat on the sofa and started to cry.

"No…this can't be happening…" he whimpered.

At that point, Ethel Armstrong walked into the room.

"Lips? You alright, sweetie?" she asked her son.

"I-I'm fine, just a little shocked," Lips whimpered.

"Don't get upset, Lips. It won't be good for the baby," Ethel said, sitting next to him and rubbing her hand on his bump. "I'm sure Zoot will be alright. It was just a few small stabs. He'll probably be okay in a few weeks," Ethel said.

"O-okay," Lips stammered, rubbing the tears out of his eyes.

* * *

**Will Zoot be okay? Will Zachariah find out what happened? Find out next chapter!**

**I own Lisa**

**Jim Henson owns the other Muppets**

**Please Follow, Favorite and/or Review**


	10. Apologies

Chap. 10: At that point, Zachariah had started to trudge back to the theater feeling nothing but guilt.

"I really shouldn't have done that to Zoot. He's my little brother after all. I really shouldn't judge him for who he likes. The first thing I'll do is apologize to him and Lips, then I'll delete that post," he thought to himself as he entered the front doors.

He was shocked to see all the Muppets running around panicked. "What the hell!" he shouted. "What's going on!"

At the sound of his shouts, everyone stopped in their tracks and looked at the door to see him.

"Well look who decided to come back," Rizzo said. "Why'd you come back? Felt guilty, because you should now!"

"Why? What happened?" Zachariah asked.

"Why should we tell you, okay?" Pepe asked hatefully.

"Pepe," Kermit said.

The frog-in-chief walked up to Zachariah and said, "It happened at least an hour ago. You see, one of our new guys, Walter, was walking Animal and White Lion when he saw your brother…"

"Zoot? Why is he involved?" Zachariah asked, concerned.

"Well you seem surprisingly concerned," Floyd sneered angrily.

"Floyd, don't be mean like that. I don't like it," Janice told her boyfriend.

"But it's his fault this happened! If he hadn't told everyone on the internet about Zoot and Lips, those girls wouldn't have tried to kill him!" Floyd shouted.

"Zoot got attacked!" Zachariah said, mortified.

"Yeah, they caught him off guard and were trying to kill him. We don't know why, but all we know Zoot's clinging to life right now," Clifford said.

"Oh no…what have I done…" Zachariah muttered. "If mother and father find out about this…"

"I hope you're ashamed, because this is definitely on you," Rizzo said.

"Rizzo!" Gonzo exclaimed.

"Come on, you know I'm right!"

"Actually, part of it was moi's fault. I sort of posted about Lips being pregnant with Zoot's child," Miss Piggy stated nervously.

"Piggy!" Kermit gasped.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think so many would have such bad backlash about it!" Piggy cried.

Zachariah ran into the backstage area and ran into the prop room.

"Why…WHY DID THIS HAPPEN!" he shouted at himself.

He sat on one of the crates and whipped out his phone. He looked at his profiles and stared at the posts about his brother and Lips. Then, he started to delete them all angrily. After he finished, he tossed his phone aside and sat by himself. After a few moments of being alone, Lips walked into the prop room and found him there.

"Hey Zachariah," he greeted.

"Hey…" Zach greeted softly.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your brother," Lips said.

"Don't be. You didn't cause that. I did. I told everyone on Facebook and Twitter about you two. I shouldn't have done that. If I hadn't, Zoot wouldn't be…" Zachariah said. "And most likely this is going to go viral and our parents are going to see it! They don't know about you two, and I'm worried if they do, they'll do something bad about it. I'm the one who should say sorry, Lips! I'm sorry I did that to you and Zoot! I just wish I could tell him that."

"Zoot is strong-willed. I know he'll pull through. We might be able to see him tomorrow," Lips said reassuringly. "So, I guess you're okay with us together now?"

"Definitely," Zachariah said with a grin.

"That's good, oh, and I almost forgot to tell you. You're going to be an uncle soon. I'm pregnant," Lips stated.

"Really, that's gre-wait, what now?" Zachariah said before collapsing to the ground, passing out.

"The reaction is always the same," Lips groaned annoyed.

The next afternoon, the hospital called letting the Muppets know Zoot was going to be alright, which was really good to hear. At the hospital, a small group of Muppets each got a turn to see Zoot if they wanted to.

Miss Piggy has never apologized so many times in her life to Zoot before, so Zoot was a little surprised she did. She was even still apologizing as Kermit and Fozzie dragged her out of the room. Zoot forgave her.

The last group was the Electric Mayhem and Zachariah. Floyd and Animal were glaring daggers at Zach.

"It's good to see you're okay," he said.

"Yeah, it's good to be alive. Those girls didn't jab me too hard. I hope they get 20 years of jail time," Zoot said.

"We heard what happened to them. They're all doing community service town," Dr. Teeth said.

"Yeah, they'll like, never go after you again," Janice said.

"Well, Zachariah, don't you have something to say to your little bro?" Dr. Teeth asked the man.

Zachariah took a deep breath before saying, "Zoot, I'm sorry I treated you so badly and I'm even sorrier for posting all that terrible stuff online. I knew what I did was wrong. If I hadn't done that, this would have never happened. I'm really sorry…"

Zoot looked at his brother with a serious expression before smirking and saying, "Hey, it's alright. I kind of figured you'd be a little upset about me and Lips. It's good to see you're okay with it now."

"Thank you…oh, and by the way, why didn't you tell me I was going to be an uncle?" Zachariah asked with a grin.

"You told him?" Zoot asked Lips.

Lips laughed, "Yeah, best reaction ever; he passed out cold!"

"Heh-heh," Zachariah muttered.

A few days later, Zoot was out of the hospital and was back on the job. Everyone was very happy to have him back, Lips most of all. Since Zachariah apologized for his deeds, Kermit let the man keep his job. After everything in life was back to normal, Zoot went up to Ethel Armstrong, who was still in the theater.

"Hey Mrs. Armstrong," Zoot said.

"Please, call me Ethel," Ethel said.

"Okay, Ethel. I need to ask you something," Zoot restated.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's about Lips. I've wanted permission for something to do for him for a while," Zoot explained.

* * *

**I wonder what Zoot is planning to do? Find out next chapter! **

**I own Ethel Armstrong and Zachariah**

**Jim Henson owns Muppets**

**Please Follow, Favorite and/or Review!**


	11. Proposal

Chap. 11: Lips was now three months along in his pregnancy. He looked forward to the sixth month where he and Zoot would learn the gender of their child. Everything was well in the theater once again, but Lips noticed his friends were acting very odd lately.

Zoot seemed to be very nervous around him, which was very odd, and everyone seemed to be keeping something from him. Lips didn't know what but he had to find out. He saw Fozzie, Rowlf, Walter, and Kermit crowded around Kermit's desk backstage.

"Okay, when you bring Lips in, you run as fast as you can onstage and start the music. Then the dancers will-," Kermit explained.

"What about me?" Lips asked, walking up to them.

"AH! No looking!" Fozzie and Walter shouted, flipping the desk over.

Kermit gave them his befuddled look and Fozzie and Walter had expressions that said, "Well THAT was the dumbest thing I've ever done".

"Um…what are you doing? I thought I heard my name," Lips asked.

"Uh…your name? We didn't say your name. We said uh…Lisp! He's a…an act for the show," Rowlf lied.

"Okay," Lips said, not quite believe the dog.

He went up to the band's dressing room where he found Zoot with a piece of white cardboard and he was writing something on it with a marker.

"What're you working on Zoot?" Lips asked.

"GAH!" Zoot yelped.

The saxophonist tossed the board behind the sofa where Lips couldn't reach it and said, "Nothing, man."

"Nothing?" Lips said, acknowledging Zoot that he saw what he did.

"I was working on a sign for something that you can't see," Zoot explained.

"What is it?" Lips asked.

"I can't tell you, it's a surprise," Zoot said with a smirk before dashing out of the room.

Lips started to think whatever Zoot was planning for him, everyone was in on, and he looked forward to seeing it.

At least a week later, Lips was alone in the dressing room when Walter came in.

"Lips, we need you in the auditorium," the Muppet said.

"Why?" Lips asked, confused. Normally he was called onstage or to the canteen for something.

"I don't know, we need you in the auditorium," Walter said, but Lips could sense the newbie knew what he was needed for.

Lips followed Walter through one of the doors that lead to the Muppet Theater auditorium. The theater seemed empty and quiet, the curtains we shut, and the lights were on. Lips also noticed Walter had vanished, so he thought he had to sit and wait for instruction. Then, before he knew it, the lights went out and he heard music. The curtains opened revealing Miss Piggy, Annie Sue, and a dozen other various Muppets were dancing onstage to the song Somebody Loves You by Betty Who.

Who's around when the days feel long?

Who's around when you can't be strong?

Who's around when you're losing your mind?

Then Walter moonwalked onstage followed by Lisa and Clifford, also dancing.

Who cares that you get home safe?

Who knows you can't be replaced?

Who thinks that you're one of a kind?

Clifford and Walter hoisted Lisa onto their shoulders, where they pointed their fingers at Lips and grinned. Then, the two guys set Lisa and down and ran into the dancing group and joined in.

Somebody misses you when you're away.

They wanna wake up with you every day.

Somebody wants to hear you say.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Lips couldn't believe it! He was being flash-mobbed! This was a once in a lifetime experience! He decided to live the moment by whipping out his phone and started to record the entire thing. This was something he had to tell Zoot about later! But why were they doing this? It was definitely not his birthday and his even if it was, he would've known! These guys were up to something.

I'm around when your head is heavy.

I'm around when your hands aren't steady.

I'm around when your day's gone all wrong.

I care that you feel at home.

Cause I know that you feel alone.

I think you're going to miss me when I'm gone.

Then, his mother Ethel walked onstage and waved happily at her son before she took a seat in a chair onstage. Then Vicki, Delores and Francine, the drummer for Solid Foam, ran onstage and started to dance along with Miss Piggy's group. Then Robin the Frog and Bean Bunny went onstage and did their own little dances before joining the big group. Then Scooter, Skeeter and Zachariah got onstage head banging and fist pumping into the air. Then they joined the group. Lips laughed at what he was witnessing. He wondered why everyone was doing this.

Somebody misses you when you're away.

They wanna wake up with you every day.

Somebody wants to hear you say.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Then, Miss Piggy's two nieces Bettina and Bolinda ran onstage in tutus and did cartwheels. Then, the Electric Mayhem got onstage, with Janice dancing and waving at Lips giddily, Animal dancing wildly with Floyd trying to make sure he stayed in control and at the same time, nodding his head to the music, and Dr. Teeth snapping his fingers to the music and grinned at Lips.

Why don't you come on over?

Why don't you lay me down?

Does the pain feel better when I'm around?

Then, Zoot went onstage, wearing a blue suit, with the white paperboard behind his back. He took the board from behind his back and showed it to Lips, revealing to say the next two lyrics of the song:

If I am good to you,

Won't you be good to me?

Zoot walked to the front of the stage and Lips got out of his seat and walked closer to the stage where Zoot handed him the sign.

That's how easy this should be.

Then the band joined the dancing group, with Zoot in the front.

Somebody misses you when you're away (Somebody misses you baby)

They wanna wake up with you every day (They wanna wake up with you)

Somebody wants to hear you say (Oh they want you to say)

Ooh somebody loves you.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Ooh somebody loves you.

Ooh somebody loves you.

When the song finished, Zoot just stood there smiling, and reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Lips felt someone tug his sleeve and Lips looked to his side to see Lisa there. She took his hand and led him onstage.

"What's going on?" he whispered, excitedly.

Lisa didn't say anything; she just smiled.

Lips walked up to Zoot where the saxophonist said, "Lips, I love you more than anything in the entire world, and I want you to be by my side forever."

Then, Zoot got down on one knee, revealing that what he had taken out of his pocket was a small box, and opened it, revealing a topaz ring.

"Will you marry me?" Zoot asked.

Lips was so surprised, he couldn't speak, but he nodded, grinning. All the Muppets cheered as Zoot put the ring on Lips's ring finger, stood up, and the newly engaged couple embraced.

"Aw, Kermie, will you propose to moi like that," Miss Piggy asked Kermit.

"I would but, it might take a while to pick a song and figure out a good dance," Kermit said.

* * *

**Well! That was fun! And now Lips and Zoot are engaged! :D Isn't that great?**

**I own Lisa, Ethel, and Zachariah. **

**Jim Henson owns Muppets**

**Betty Who owns song Somebody Loves You**

**Please Follow, Favorite, and/or Review!**


	12. Kicking, Gender and Name

Chap. 12: A week after the proposal, Zoot and Lips were married in a church in Hollywood. It had to be the greatest day in their lives, other than joining the Muppets. Now all that was left to do was wait for their child to be born.

A long while later, Lips was in his fifth month of pregnancy. Lips woke up one day, feeling... warm. He wasn't sick anymore, and Zoot was still asleep. Lips then realized Zoot was the one making him warm. Lips found that he liked it, and accepted that Zoot was in his life. He sat up, looking at Zoot as he slept. That is until Zoot turned and looked at him. Lips smiled, Zoot smiled back. Zoot sat up, and got closer to Lips, his stomach pressing against Lips' bulge as they kissed. Then they both felt something, which Lips felt more: The baby's first kick. Lips' eyes slightly widened as the two both looked down at his belly. Zoot sat down beside Lips, pressing his hand to Lips' stomach. Lips' mouth was slightly gaping as this happened.

"Zoot..." Lips said. "I don't believe it. It's alive."

"I know man, I know," Zoot said, excitedly.

The saxophonist couldn't believe that the baby his husband was carrying was now kicking, and he was really excited. He didn't want to take his hand away.

"Uh…Zoot? How long are you going to keep your hand there? We need to get to work," Lips said, snickering.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry," Zoot said, removing his hand from Lips' stomach, a little embarrassed about his excitement.

Later that day, Lips told his sister and Janice that the baby had just kicked and man, were they excited. Eventually, word got out that Lips and Zoot's baby was starting to kick and every Muppet in the theater wanted a turn to feel it. From Afghan Hound to Zondra. Lips was even more excited about the baby coming soon.

Lisa then told Lips she needed to speak to him about something. They met in the Electric Mayhem dressing room.

"So what's up, sis?" he asked.

"I'm not sure if you'll mind, but I've begun to see someone in the theater," Lisa said.

"Really? Who?" Lips asked interested in the guy Lisa was dating.

Whenever Lisa dates a guy, she tells Lips about him, so this was not new to him.

"Guess!" Lisa said, snickering. Lips thought over the possibilities.

"Clifford?" Lips guessed.

"No," Lisa said.

"…Dr. Teeth?"

"Nope, guess again."

"...You're not dating Animal are you?" Lips asked nervously.

"Unless I have a way to control him on dates without Floyd, no. Do you give up?" Lisa asked.

"To be honest, yeah."

"Okay, its Walter," Lisa stated.

"You're kidding!" Lips said, surprised. Not to be mean, but Walter was the last guy he expected his sister to date. Then again, they both have similar enthusiasm.

"When did you two click?" Lips asked.

"A few nights ago. Walter asked me out on a date and I got to say, it was fun and he's such a nice guy," Lisa said.

"Well, how about that," Lips said with a grin.

"I'm glad you're okay with it. I knew you'd approve," Lisa beamed.

Another month went by, which was the month Lips and Zoot would learn the gender of their unborn child. They went to the doctor's office and waited patiently for the results of what gender their baby would be. Meanwhile back at the Muppet Boarding House, Pepe was holding bets on what gender the baby is. Of course, a majority of females bet on girl and a majority of males bet on boy.

Finally, it was time for the ultrasound. The doctor rubbed some petroleum jelly on Lips' abdomen and then turned on the ultrasound machine and put the sensor on the bump. As the doctor got to work on seeing the baby on the monitor, Lips grasped Zoot's hand and smiled. Zoot smiled back.

"Ah, there we are," the doctor said. The screen of the monitor showed a baby fetus. "The baby is perfectly healthy," the doctor stated.

"What's it gender?" Lips asked.

"Let's see…" the doctor said, checking over the image. "Oh, you're going to have a baby girl! Congratulations!"

"A baby girl?" Zoot said, confused.

"A little girl, huh. Cool," Lips said with a grin. Now it'll be easier to name the baby.

When the couple got home, they broke the news to the other Muppets. There was a loud cheer and cries of sorrow at the same time! The Muppets that betted that the baby would be a girl now got some money and the Muppets that betted that the baby would be a boy were upset that they lost some money. After the excitement was over and everyone went back to doing their usual thing,

Zoot trudged up to his and Lips' room, a little disappointed by the results. Lips, noticing his husband's sorrow, went after him to figure out what was wrong.

"Hey Zoot, you alright? You seem a little down about something," Lips asked.

"Yeah I'm fine, it's just that I've sort of wanted us to have a boy," Zoot explained.

"Oh…" Lips said. "Maybe next time, dear."

"Yeah, maybe next time," Zoot said.

"Why did you want a boy?" Lips asked, curious.

"Well…for one thing…now I can't name the kid after a saxophonist. I was all set on naming him Charlie!" Zoot explained.

"I kind of figured that, but don't think because it's a girl we can't name her after a saxophonist. There are probably some female saxophonists," Lips stated positively.

"Prove it," Zoot challenged.

Lips whipped out his phone and searched online on Google for female saxophonists. He eventually came across a small list.

"Okay, I got same names; Mindi Abair," Lips stated.

"I like that name Mindi." Zoot said.

"Candy Dulfur."

"That's a cute name."

"Pamela Williams."

"I don't think we can name the kid that. It sounds too much like Spamela, like that other girl pig."

"Layla Angulo."

"Never heard a name like that before."

"Mihoko Abe."

"A foreign name. Nice."

"Jessy J."

"She plays saxophone? I have more respect for her now."

"Kaori Kobayashi."

"Another cool name."

"Saori Yuno."

"Saori sounds like Kaori. Maybe if we get another daughter, we can name her that."

"Chika Asamoto."

"Chika sounds like a name Janice would suggest."

"Well, now do you believe me that there are female saxophonists?" Lips asked.

Zoot smiled and nodded, "Yeah. I like the names Mindi, Jessy and Kaori best."

"I thought you'd like them," Lips said with a smile. "I'll go write them in the notebook."

He went to the desk and pulled out the notebook where he and Zoot wrote down some names for their baby a while ago. Lips wrote down the three new ones and looked at the other names.

"Which name should we give our daughter?"

"I don't know. What do we have for girl names so far?" Zoot asked.

"Bessie, Luanne, Ella, Billie, Dinah, Mari, Mindi, Jessy, and Kaori," Lips answered. "I still like the name Mari."

"Okay…how about Mari Kaori Simms?" Zoot suggested.

"That's perfect!" Lips exclaimed. "That's going to be our little girl's name, Mari Kaori Simms."

"Should we tell the other guys the name?" Zoot asked.

"Yeah, let's get their opinions," Lips agreed.

And with that, the couple walked out of the room to tell their friends the official name of their child.

* * *

**Yeah, this chapter was sort of rushed, but Zoot and Lips have finally decided on a name for their child, Mari Kaori Simms!**

**I own Lisa and Mari Kaorit Simms**

**Jim Henson owns Muppets**

**Please Favorite, Follow and/or Review!**


	13. Baby Shower

Chap. 13: Another month later, Lips was 7 months along. Janice and Lisa insisted that they should have a baby shower, even though Lips thought it would be too much trouble, and Zoot agreed. Janice said she didn't care and that she wanted to throw a baby shower for her friend and that it would be fun. Lisa said it was the perfect way to welcome a new baby. Lips said they could welcome the baby after it was born, but after at least three days of the girls pressing him to let them do it, Lips gave in.

So, the Muppets got ready for the baby shower. On that day, Gladys the cafeteria lady made a chocolate cake and the other girls started to decorate the living room in the Muppet Boarding House for the party, until Kermit reminded them that this shower was for a guy, not a girl when he saw the girly décor. Then, they redecorated with regular decorations. The shower did turn out really well! Lips and Zoot received a lot of gifts for the baby from their friends:

Dr. Teeth-A baby hat,

Floyd and Janice-A toy saxophone and trumpet,

Animal-His old baby blanket which was surprisingly still in one piece,

Kermit-A baby book, you know, the one where you write the baby's first in it,

Swedish Chef-A baby food cookbook and lots of high-end formula,

Rowlf the Dog-baby safety materials (gates, cabinet locks, etc.),

Beaker-Baby First-Aid kit,

Miss Piggy-A baby dress that oddly resembles her lavender one,

Scooter-A baby monitor,

Bunsen-Changing table and pad,

Fozzie-Receiving blankets with bears on them,

Skeeter-A baby mobile,

Delores-A lot of baby bottles and bottle brushes,

Zachariah-A bassinet,

Ethel-crib,

Lisa-a stuffed calico cat,

Gladys-A high chair,

Gonzo and Camilla-baby swing,

Vicki-rattle and pacifiers,

Digit-hooded towels and baby washcloths,

Sam the Eagle-baby bathtub,

Walter-a collection of Muppet storybooks,

Clifford-a diaper cleaning kit and a diaper pail,

Rizzo-a baby sling,

Hilda-various dresses and onesies,

Marvin Suggs-a baby Muppaphone that he tried to demonstrate on until Kermit and Fozzie stopped him, saying it was just a baby and that it didn't need to go through what it's parents did,

Lew Zealand-a baby pillow with goldfish on it,

Beauregard-diaper bag and diapers,

Pepe the King Prawn and Spamella Hamderson-baby soap and other bathing materials,

Annie Sue-Insulated bottle carrier,

Nigel-a CD of baby lullabies,

Mildred Huxtetter-a baby carrier,

Robin, Bettina and Bolinda-a baby playpen,

Bobby Benson and his Baby Band-A Baby band t-shirt in case they would be interested in letting the baby into his band,

Various whatnots-toys and baby clothes,

And the White Lion-a small statue of him that he said would insure the baby would be wise when it was older.

Lips thanked his friends for the gifts and that he was glad he let them do this for him. A few days later, Lips, Zoot, Lisa and Zachariah got the baby's room ready for baby which would come in two months.

Later that night, Lips and Zoot were lying in bed, worn out from all the decorating.

"I'm excited," Lips said, grasping his husband's hand.

"About what?" Zoot asked.

"The baby," Lips reminded the saxophonist, rolling his eyes.

"Oh right, the baby. You may be very excited, but I'm very nervous. I'm not sure if I'll be a good father," Zoot admitted.

"Oh come on, you'll be great," Lips said. "And besides, we got a lot of people to help us out if things become too much."

"Yeah, that's true. So, Mari Kaori Simms is going to be her name?"

"Yeah, unless you want to change it," Lips said.

"No, I want to keep the name. I just can't believe that we're basically naming her after two good people of jazz," Zoot stated.

Lips smirked at him, "Technically, it's three people of jazz."

"Who's the third?" Zoot asked, confused.

"You, she has your last name," Lips stated.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Zoot said. "There is something else I'm worried about, too."

"What's that, man?"

"What if…the baby comes early? Or during a show? What do we do then? And what if the band was in the middle of a performance?" Zoot started to ramble until Lips stopped him. "It's okay man. That's two months away. I'm sure everything will be okay. Just relax."

"Okay, sorry," Zoot said. "Still, what should we do if that happens?"

"I don't know, get me to a hospital or we could have the baby in the theater. That would make it memorable," Lips said, laughing.

"Er…I don't think having a baby in the theater would be a good idea, but that would be cool, but wouldn't the audience hear your screams?" Zoot asked.

"Depends. Hopefully they won't, but if they do, it would be hilarious if they jumped every time," Lips said with a grin.

"This is serious, Lips," Zoot said. "We got to consider the well-being of our baby."

"Okay sorry, just thought I'd think positively of it."

* * *

**Raise your hands if you think Zoot jinxed him and Lips! **

**Well, this is the chapter with the baby shower. It was sort of rushed, but I promise the next chapter will have a little more detail!**

**I own Lisa, Zachariah, and Ethel**

**Jim Henson owns Muppets**

**Please Follow, Favorite, and/or Review!**


	14. The Birth

Two more months went by and Lips was officially 9 months pregnant. Zoot seemed a little nervous every day, mainly because he didn't know when the baby would come and he didn't want it to come at the worst possible time, but Lips kept telling him it was just a week from then and nothing would happen, but Rowlf warned the couple that it's rare that babies are born on the due date, but Lips still said it would be okay.

One evening in the dressing room before a show, Zoot was pacing around, and he looked nervous.

At one point, Lips entered. "Hey Zoot, you alright?" the trumpeter asked the saxophonist. "Never seen you so nervous about a show before."

"It's not about the show, it's about the baby. What if it does come early, and during the show?" Zoot asked.

"Zoot, I've told you at least a hundred times; don't worry about it. Everything will be okay," Lips said holding his husband's hand.

Zoot sighed, "Sorry, it's just that I'm worried is all."

"It's okay, man," Lips said hugging his husband. "It's okay."

Zoot hugged Lips for a few moments until both men felt something. Lips took a step back and felt the bump to feel the baby kicking.

"Mari's kicking," Lips giggled.

Zoot felt his abdomen to feel his daughter's kicks as well. "So she is," the Muppet said with a grin.

The couple kissed before leaving the dressing room.

Later, at least 10 minutes into the show, Lips began to feel some odd cramps in his abdomen, but he ignored them since they didn't bother him too much. Zoot seemed to notice and started to get nervous again. At one point during a performance with the guest star and the orchestra, Lips felt like he could barely stand, which has never happened before. Delores and Janice kept whispering to him if he was okay and he nodded, even though the girls could tell that he wasn't.

After the performance and the orchestra went backstage, Zoot went up to Lips. "Okay, something is definitely wrong," he told Lips.

"It's okay Zoot. I'll be fine. It's probably nothing," Lips assured his lover.

"Lips, I really do think we need to get you to a doctor," Zoot said. "I think you might be in labor."

"Zoot, if I was in labor, I would be in a lot more pain than this," Lips stated.

"Don't you think we should go just in ca-," Zoot started to say when Lips snapped, "I SAID I WAS FINE!"

"Whoa…" Zoot muttered, taking a step back.

Lips took a deep breath and said, "Sorry, I don't know where that came from. Anyway, the Electric Mayhem goes on next. I need to be here."

"…Okay," Zoot said reluctantly.

The band went onstage to perform and the cramps in Lips' abdomen have stopped. He was glad otherwise it'd distract him from playing the trumpet. The guest star [of some sort, I don't know who it is!] went onstage and started to sing a song.

Lips played the trumpet with ease until he felt something in his abdomen. He ignored it and kept playing until he felt water come out of him. Lips jumped and stopped playing his trumpet to see what happened.

Zoot stopped playing as well and looked at Lips with terrified eyes. The audience seemed to notice the panic from the trumpeter and saxophonist. Animal snuck offstage and pulled the lever that closed the curtains.

"What's going on?" the guest star asked the band.

"Nothing! Just go up to your dressing room," Zoot insisted, not wanting the star to get involved.

The guest did as told and went up to her dressing when Kermit entered backstage from the canteen.

"What happened? Why'd you stop the performance?" Kermit asked.

Lips leaned against a crate and groaned, "My water broke."

Zoot went over to his husband and gently rubbed his abdomen, trying to soothe the pain. "We got to get Lips to a hospital and fast!" he exclaimed as Lips groaned more.

"Kermit! We got a problem," Floyd said, as he and Janice ran in from outside.

"What is it?" the frog asked the bassist and guitarist.

"Well, we were like, starting the bus so we could take Lips to the hospital and it wouldn't, like, go!" Janice explained.

"Take Fozzie's Studebaker," Kermit suggested.

"We did! The engine was dead in that one too!" Floyd stated.

"This is bad! Lips is about to have the baby and there's no way to get to a hospital!" Zoot said.

"Take Lips to dressing room 3. Nobody is in there. Janice, Floyd, see if either of you can find Dr. Honeydew. We might need his help," Kermit stated.

Zoot nodded, picked Lips and carried him off to the dressing room. Janice and Floyd ran to find the scientist. A few minutes later, Zoot had gotten Lips comfortable on a sofa and was now holding his husband's hand. Very soon, Zoot was going to become a father and he was freaking out more than ever!

"Please let it all go well," he prayed.

At that point, Rowlf in his Dr. Bob uniform entered the room.

"Rowlf? What are you doing here?" Zoot asked.

"Helping people give birth wasn't part of Dr. Honeydew's field, but it is part of mine. I have a PhD. I can help you," the dog explained.

"Okay, but try to make a wisecrack through all this and I'll slap you! I'm not in the mood for jokes right now!" Lips snarled through the pain.

"Hey, that's animal abuse to threaten an animal. Anyway, I'll just help you get ready to give birth," Rowlf said.

Meanwhile onstage, Kermit was introducing the next act when Janice ran onstage.

"Janice, what is it? Can't it wait backstage?" Kermit asked the valley girl.

"Sorry Kermit, just came up here to warn you if the screams get, like, too loud," Janice explained.

"I doubt I'll be able to hear them," Kermit said.

Then, the frog, Janice and the audience heard Lips scream in agony.

"And I can hear them. Is the door shut?" Kermit asked.

"Yeah, but it's still a little loud," Janice said.

"Good grief," Kermit groaned.

Then another scream rang out, making everyone jump.

Backstage, Miss Piggy ran out of her dressing room and shouted, "Who's screaming!?"

"Lips is, he's giving birth," Scooter explained.

"Lips is in labor? Here? Why didn't he and Zoot go to a hospital like normal people?" Miss Piggy asked, annoyed.

"The vehicles wouldn't start," Scooter stated.

"Great, looks like we'll be stuck with those screams for the rest of the show. That brat had better come out of Lips soon!" Piggy snapped, storming into her dressing room.

In dressing room 3, Lips was gripping Zoot's hand as he tried to push their daughter out. It was very painful for him since it was the first time he ever bore a child.

"Zoot…the next time you want a kid…we're adopting!" Lips snapped.

"Sounds good," Zoot said, as he felt pain in his hand. He hoped he could still play saxophonist after this scenario.

Lisa was nearby, dabbing a towel on Lips's forehead and face, wiping off the sweat and tears Lips was shedding.

Zachariah was on the far side of the room and he muttered, "I'm never having kids."

Near the end of the show, the baby was very close to coming out.

"You're doing great, Lips. Only a few more pushes," Zoot said soothingly to his partner.

"G-good," Lips whimpered as he pushed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night.

Finally, after three more pushes, there was the cry of an infant.

"Congratulations, it's a girl!" Rowlf exclaimed.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Lips cried.

He released Zoot's hand, causing Zoot to collapse to the ground, due to the stress from earlier.

"Oh man…" he muttered.

"You should have had a boy, Lips," Zachariah said.

"Why's that?" Lips asked as Rowlf washed the crying infant in a metal tub Animal and Floyd brought up for him to use.

"Then there'd be at least one man in the family," Zachariah snickered, pointing at Zoot passed out on the floor.

"Oh come on, Lips was crushing his hand. It's a good reason to pass out," Lisa defended Zoot.

"Whatever you say. I am going to hold this over him for years," Zachariah said.

"You won't if you want to be in one piece later," Zoot said, struggling to his feet.

Rowlf wrapped the newborn in a blanket brought by Janice.

"Well, here she is," Rowlf said, handing the baby to Lips.

"Mari Kaori Simms," Lips said.

"Our little Mari," Zoot said softly.

Mari had tan skin like Lips and blue hair like Zoot. Her eyes were in a squint like Lips and she had a little green nose like Zoot.

"What do you think of her, Zoot?" Lips asked his husband.

"She's…perfect," Zoot said. He could feel himself crying from joy.

"Aw, she's so cute," Lisa cooed.

"Yeah," Lips said. "Hey Zoot, do you want to hold her?"

"Oh, um…I don't know. I've never held a baby before. What if I do something wrong?" Zoot asked. "What if she doesn't like me? What if-?"

Lips gently put the Mari Zoot's arms. Zoot started to panic a little until Mari looked up at her father and seemed to smile a little. "Heh," Zoot said, smirking a little.

Scooter then entered the room. "Anyone that was involved in the guest's performance needs to be onstage with the star for when Kermit closes the show," the go-fer said.

"Got it," Zoot said, running out of the room.

"Um…did Zoot take Mari with him?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah, I guess now the whole world is going to see her!" Lips laughed.

Onstage, Kermit was thanking the star for showing up when Zoot got onstage.

"It was groovy to perform with you," he stated.

"Thanks Zoot. Oh, and who's this little guy?" the star asked, pointing at Mari.

Zoot became pale a little when he realized he brought Mari onstage. "This is um…Mari…she was born recently," Zoot explained nervously.

"Well, she sure is cute," the star said.

"Thanks," Zoot said.

"Well, everyone, that's it for the Muppet Show!" Kermit shouted, ending the show.

"Good, I didn't want to talk about Mari anymore to the public," Zoot sighed.

* * *

**Well, it's the chapter you've been wanting to read! Mari is born!**

**I own Lisa, Zachariah and Mari.**

**Jim Henson owns the Muppets**

**Please Follow, Favorite and/or Review! We're near the end of the story folks!**


	15. The Conclusion

Chap. 15: A while later, Mari was sleeping soundly in her cradle in the Muppet Boarding House. Zoot looked down at her, smiling. He couldn't believe he was a father. Truth be told, he didn't think it would actually happen, but it did. Lips entered the room and found his husband admiring their newborn daughter

"Still hard to believe, huh?" Lips said, taking Zoot by surprise. "Who'd have thought a guy like me would have something so precious."

"Y-yeah, you got that right. I didn't actually think we'd ever get any kids, and to be honest, I never actually pictured myself as a father, but now…" Zoot said.

Lips smiled at his husband before saying, "You know you were meant to be a parent?"

"Yeah man…say, if I'm father, does that make you the other father or the mother?" Zoot asked, really confused.

Lips blushed and said, "Um…the other father. I'm still a guy. I just gave birth to a baby is all. Why do you ask?"

Zoot looked nervous and said, "Um…I overheard Pepe planning to refer you as Mari's mother to annoy you."

Lips did an annoyed sigh, "Figures." Then the trumpeter looked down at Mari and smiled. Too think, just a few months back, he and Zoot had just gotten back together after being apart for so long, and then he got pregnant, and they got married, and in the middle of a show, Lips gave birth to his baby girl. Life can be a little crazy and has some shocking turns, but every now and then, those turns become something good in the future. This was one of those times, and Lips was happy he got to experience it.

"Well, we better let Mari get some sleep. It's been a long night," he said to Zoot.

The saxophonist nodded and the couple exited from the room. "So, which instrument do you think Mari will learn when she's older?" Zoot asked, eager to have a couple of guesses.

"Well, she can do one of ours, or both if she's really talented," Lips guessed.

"It'd be groovy if she played both of our signature instruments," Zoot said.

"Yeah, that would be cool. She might become a very good act for the Muppet Show when she's older," Lips agreed.

"Yeah…" Zoot said. The couple just stood there, smiling at each other before kissing. Then, there were a few small cries from Mari's room.

"Uh-oh, looks like Mari woke up," Lips groaned.

Then, Pepe opened the door to his room, stepped out, looked at Lips, and said, "Hey Lips, can you be a good mother and make your baby shut up, okay?" The King Prawn laughed as he shut the door.

Zoot could sense anger from Lips, so he said, "You can deal with Pepe tomorrow morning; we got to see what's wrong with Mari now."

Lips sighed and said, "Okay."

The two men entered Mari's room to check on their daughter, which would be the first of many times, but they can pull through it with love.

THE END

* * *

**And that's the end! Hope you enjoyed this story! **

**I own Mari**

**Jim Henson owns Zoot and Lips**

**Brian Henson owns Pepe**

**Please Favorite and/or Review. **


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